Pakistan seeks more info from India on Pathankot attack

Pakistan on Monday sought more information for results as it sent the initial investigation report on the Pathankot attack to New Delhi, officials here said.

These officials said some arrests had already been made, but to move forward Pakistan would need more evidence.

“An initial report has been sent to India. We have asked for more information so that we can get to the bottom of it. We are moving forward,” said a senior government official.

India had given cell phone numbers and phone intercepts to Pakistan. India believes Pathankot attackers used the numbers — 03000597212 and 03017775253 — before carrying out the act. India also linked the attackers to banned Jaish-e-Mohammed outfit.

The official said the investigation into the cell phone numbers was complete and the investigators could not find any registration record.

“These numbers are not registered in Pakistan. We are keeping these numbers with us but will be moving on for other clues too. We will be waiting for more details from India,” he added.

Law enforcement agencies have picked up “some suspects” connected to Pathankot airbase attack from Bahawalpur district, the hometown of Maulana Masood Azhar, chief of banned terror outfit Jaish-e-Mohammed.

Pakistani news channel ARY News reported on Monday that “some arrests” have been made in this regard but the police did not confirm any arrest related to the Pathankot attack.

“The intelligence agencies have picked up some suspects from Bahawalpur on the leads provided by India in Pathankot airbase attack and shifted them to undisclosed location for interrogation,” the news channel reported. Regional police officer (RPO Bahawalpur) Ahsan Saddique said that he was not aware of any arrest in connection with the Pathankot attack. “I am not aware about any arrests related to the Pathankot incident,” he added. The detainees were being interrogated.

A security official said authorities raided places in Gujranwala, Jhelum and Bahawalpur districts to arrest suspects. “We are interrogating them to find out if they facilitated the attack on the Pathankot air base,” he added.

On Monday, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif ordered to form a joint investigation team of the intelligence bureau, the Inter-Services Intelligence, the military intelligence, the federal investigation agency and the police to investigate the Pathankot attack.

Mr Sharif has already said that a transparent investigation will be made and those involved will not be spared.

On Monday, Indian National Security Adviser Ajit Doval denied reports that the upcoming foreign secretary level talks between Pakistan and India have been called off.

An Indian newspaper earlier quoted Ajit Doval as saying in an interview that New Delhi was not ready for peace dialogue or foreign secretary level talks — scheduled for January 15 — with Pakistan “as long as Pakistan doesn‘t take action against those guilty of Pathankot attack and India is satisfied with Pakistan‘s action on the issue”.

However, shortly afterwards, Mr Doval denied making any such remark.

“I speak to journalists every day. But I do not remember giving any such interview. I strongly deny that I made such a statement.”

He added dates for the foreign secretary-level talks have not been fixed and that talks will only happen if Pakistan takes action against perpetrators of the Pathankot airbase terror attack.

Earlier, India’s defence minister Manohar Parrikar said any individual or organisation causing pain to India should be paid back in the same coin but how, when and where “should be of our choice.”