Amid concerns over allowing Pakistan’s five-member Joint Investigation Team (JIT) access to the Pathankot airbase, the Government on Saturday made it clear the probe team of the neighbouring country will be shown only the “relevant” portion of the airbase. It pointed out India facilitating the JIT probe was aimed at “reaching to the bottom of the case and nabbing the real perpetrators of the terror attack”.
Besides taking the JIT, which will arrive here on Sunday, to the Pathankot airbase, the Indian side will also share material evidences collected in this case, sources said “The JIT will be allowed to question the 17 civilians injured in the Pathankot terror attack but none of the security personnel will be allowed to be questioned.
Besides, the JIT will be given access to bodies of the four terrorists killed in the operation,” the sources maintained.
The National Investigating Agency (NIA) will also exchange details of the investigations conducted by it in the case with the JIT. And following the JIT’s visit, sources said, the NIA will also go to Pakistan for taking forward the probe in this case.
The JIT, comprising Punjab Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) AIG Rai Tahir as convener, Intelligence Bureau lahore Deputy Director General Azim Arshad, lt-Col Tanvir Ahmed of the ISI, lt-Col Irfan Mirza of Militray Intelligence and Gujranwala CTD Investigating Officer Shahid Tanveer, will have a meeting with NIA officials at NIA headquarters at 11 am on Monday (March 28) where the Indian side will make a presentation to the JIT giving out facts and evidence of the case. The NIA officials will also respond to queries raised by the JIT and give out additional inputs if needed.
The NIA will thereafter take the JIT to crime scenes in Pathankot, including the airbase, on Tuesday (March 29) where they will be shown the relevant portion of the airbase linked to terror attack which has been cordoned off. The rest of the airbase too has been visually barricaded.
Sources said the JIT will be allowed to cross-examine witnesses in its presence and given access to documents, forensic reports, statements, material proof etc as per Indian process. Punjab police officer Salvinder Singh, whose vehicle was snatched by militants, will also be allowed to be questioned along with 17 other civilians.
However, India will not allow questioning of any other security personnel with regard to operations. “We have no problems showing the JIT the point from where terrorists entered India and the route they took to Pathankot. We are also ready to share with the JIT intercept reports, and possessions of the militants and all those things that can help them take the probe forward,” sources said.
Once the JIT is back in New Delhi on March 30, the NIA officials would like to ask questions with regard to the progress in the probe made by them so far. Indian officials are hoping to get a clearer picture on what all Pakistan has done so far on the evidence and inputs provided to them and if any detentions and arrests have been made with regard to the Pathankot attack case.
Incidentally, India is still awaiting a reply from Pakistan on the letter Rogatory (lR) sent to it about 20 days back seeking details of probe. So far, there has been no reply but the NIA is hopeful the JIT might bring along with it the response to the lR as the documents also mention that the Indian side might have to travel to Pakistan side to connect the dots and question people. “It is clear that the modalities that we will follow will be based on reciprocatory basis,” sources said.
The NIA has already established the identity of the killed militants, information about their parents, addresses apart from their handlers and facilitators. India has also given audio evidence of Abdul Rauf Azhar, brother of Jaish e-Mohammad chief Maulana Masood Azhar, giving a speech following the attack where he is heard boasting about sending four militants to carry out attack in Pathankot.
Sources in the probe agencies said the terror attack on Pathankot followed a set pattern and used similar weapons and instruments. All terror attacks in recent times also followed same modus operandi, where the militants came in pairs of two or four, hijacked cars to reach venue, used GPS systems for navigation and wireless sets for communication, carried Under Barrel Grenade launchers in AK 47 which are either made in China or Russia and easily available in Af-Pak region, used Red Bull energy drinks, wire cutters, and targeted security forces. Interestingly, sources said, they do not kill women and children. NIA has lifted DNA samples from Red Bull drinks cans used by these terrorists, which too will be shared with the JIT.
