Pathankot attack: NIA files chargesheet, names Azhar

New Delhi: Maulana Masood Azhar-led terrorist organisation in Pakistan, Jaish-e-Mohammed, conspired to infiltrate into the Indian territory and wage war against the government, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) said on Monday in the chargesheet filed in the January 2 attack on an Indian Air Force station in Pathankot.

The agency filed the chargesheet at a NIA Special Court against Azhar, JeM deputy chief Mufti Abdul Rauf Asghar, Shahid Latif and main handler of Pathnkot attackers Kashif Jan.

​“It was established during investigation that the JeM entered into a criminal conspiracy to infiltrate into the territory of India and wage war against the government,” the NIA said.

JeM “set up training camps in Pakistan and the PoK area, for recruitment and training of terrorists, in order to carry out terror attacks on the Indian soil. During the training, these terrorists were made to undergo extensive motivational, physical, military and tactical training regimen, to radicalize them and to prepare them for Jihad,” the agency added.

The four main accused have been charged under Sections 120B, 121, 121A, 302, 307, 364, 365, 367, 368, 397 of the Indian Penal Code, sections 16, 18, 20, 23, 38 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967, section 25, 27 of the Arms Act, 1959, Sections 3(b) of the Explosive Substances Act, 1908 and section 4 of the Prevention of Damage to Public Property Act.

The NIA also mentioned the names of the attackers – Nasir Hussain, Hafiz Abu Bakar, Umar Farooq and Abdul Qayum, who were neutralised by the security forces after the attack.

The charge sheet includes evidence of linking the footprints of one of the terrorists obtained from Bamiyal besides matching of DNA sample found from a soft drink can in the hijacked car of Punjab Superintendent of Police Salwinder Singh, the sources said.

The Pathankot terror strike had seen a joint investigation team from Pakistan also arriving in India for carrying out a probe.

However, the Pakistani team, upon their return, claimed that India neither shared much of evidence nor allowed it to interrogate the security personnel involved in dealing with the attack.