The Pakistani authorities Friday lodged an FIR over the Pathankot attack, but it didn’t name Jaish-e-Mohammed chief Masood Azhar, who India accused of masterminding the strike.
The Pakistani authorities Friday lodged an FIR over the Pathankot attack, but it didn’t name Jaish-e-Mohammed chief Masood Azhar, who India accused of masterminding the strike. Indian government sources said while filing of the FIR was a “step forward”, it was “disappointed” neither JeM nor its chief Masood Azhar were named. “It’s a small step in the right direction. But it’s disappointing neither the name of Jaish nor Masood Azhar was in the FIR,” a senior Indian official was quoted by PTI saying. Speculation is, however, rife that this may eventually pave the way for foreign secretary-level talks between the two nations if Islamabad takes more steps against those who planned the Pathankot attack from its soil.
Reports from Islamabad said the FIR was filed against “unknown persons” after weeks of probe. It was filed Thursday at the counter-terrorism department centre at Gujranwala, in Pakistan’s Punjab. An official said it was needed to start police and judicial proceedings. It has the telephone numbers contacted by the militants during the attack.
With the FIR not naming either Pakistan based Jaish e Mohammed or Its chief Maulana Masood Azhar, Indian agencies are sceptical of Pakistan’s seriousness in probing the attack, even though the Indian government wants to give Pakistan a chance to probe the case thoroughly and is open to the idea of the visit of the Pakistani SIT now.
The terror assault by Pakistani terrorists on the IAF airbase at Pathankot had led to the postponement of Indo-Pak Foreign Secretary-level talks after New Delhi handed over evidence of involvement of the Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammed and its chief Maulana Masood Azhar. “Pakistan has not named anybody in the FIR despite the evidence and names shared by India.
However this is the first step taken by Islamabad and we will wait,” a top official said.
India has identified Azhar as the mastermind of the attack.
It has also blamed his brother Rauf and five others. The FIR has been lodged on the basis of information provided by National Security Adviser Ajit Doval that four attackers probably crossed from Pakistan into India to attack the airbase on January 2.
The FIR number 06/2016 was lodged under sections 302, 324 and 109 of the Pakistan Penal Code, and sections 7 and 21-I of the Anti-Terrorism Act.
The attack led to the postponement of a scheduled meeting between Foreign Secretaries of Pakistan and India in January in Islamabad. Since then, no date has been fixed for talks. The FIR has reportedly been registered on the recommendations of a six-member special team probing the attack.
Pakistan Prime Minister Sharif had formed the six-member investigation team headed by Additional Inspector General of Punjab’s CTD Rai Tahir to probe India’s assertion that JeM was behind the attack.
Meanwhile, Pakistan’s Punjab province Law Minister Rana Sanaullah today said India will be asked for more information after the registration of the FIR. Sanaullah told reporters in Lahore that the FIR shows Pakistan’s “commitment” against militancy. “We will seek more information from India,” he said.
Responding to a question, Sanaullah said anyone including Azhar if found guilty of involvement in the attack will be prosecuted. “No one becomes guilty by naming him. I don’t want to name anyone at this stage. Let the probe be completed and if Masood Azhar was involved, action will be taken,” Sanaullah said. He also urged India to provide any evidence it has on Azhar or anyone else’s involvement in the attack. Sanaullah said that a new Joint Investigation Team (JIT) will be formed after the FIR for further investigation. The minister said the Special Investigation Team (SIT) formed on the orders of the Prime Minister was for initial investigation.
However, he did not clarify if the SIT will be dissolved or converted into JIT or a new probe team will be formed. “The entire world and also India should acknowledge our seriousness in rooting out militancy from the region. India, especially, should not doubt our resolve and honesty,” he said. Sanaullah acknowledged that it was first incident that an FIR was registered at the compliant by a top Indian official. “I think militancy can be eliminated from this region if India and Pakistan are on one page,” he said.
Meanwhile, according to reports, both the Prime Ministers have accepted the US President’s invitation to attend the nuclear summit in Washington on March 31 and April 1. A Pakistani official was quoted by a leading newspaper there as saying, “The chances (of the two PMs meeting) are strong, very strong. But you know the history of India-Pakistan talks. You cannot be certain about an event until it has happened.”
