Pathankot Attack Investigation: What We Expect From Pakistan

Will Pakistani officials assist India in the Pathankot terror attack investigation or is it just an eyewash?

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has claimed to have gathered enough evidence to establish that Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) – a terror group suspected to be backed by the ISI – was responsible for the Pathankot air base terror attack.

A five-member Pakistan joint investigative team (JIT) arrived in India on 27 March. The team will visit the ‘area of crime’ in the Pathankot air force base on 29 March. According to senior NIA officials, the Indian investigators will update the Pakistan JIT on the terror attack probe before their visit to the air base.

Pakistan officials are in India for a terror attack investigation for the first time. While investigating the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks, India had gathered enough evidence to prove Pakistan’s involvement. But no investigators were sent to India from across the border then.

Is Pakistan keen on assisting India in expediting the investigation, or is it all just an eyewash?

We have shared all evidence with Pakistan through Letter Rogatory (LR). We will exchange more information with them and expedite the investigation though we are not so hopeful of a fruitful outcome.

Senior Official, NIA

The NIA is Likely to Emphasise on These Points

1. Investigators say they have enough background details on all four terrorists whose bodies were recovered at the IAF base in Pathankot. NIA will share these details with the Pakistani investigative team. They will not only seek corroboration of these details, but also acquire other relevant inputs on these terrorists.

2. A phone conversation was intercepted by security officials between a person – who crossed over to India, and provided investigators with several leads – and his mother.

The NIA will request the team to interrogate the infiltrator’s mother and share information with India, as she is located in Pakistan.

3. In the LR sent to Pakistan, NIA had shared the names of the handlers who were guiding the four terrorists from Pakistan. NIA has claimed to have gathered enough evidence to prove they were JeM members. Hence Indian officials will request the Pakistan JIT to arrest and interrogate these handlers.

4. NIA will also request Pakistani officials to question JeM Chief Masood Azhar.

However, Pakistan has claimed that JeM was not involved. Nevertheless, there are ample things that prove the attackers were from Pakistan. These include things recovered during the investigation – like ready-to-eat food packets made in Pakistan found with the terrorists and Sardar brand shoes manufactured in Pakistan, which the attackers were wearing.

India has already shared phone numbers of the intercepted calls made to Pakistan, along with the list of arms and ammunition recovered from the terrorists.

5. NIA is likely to share details of the route taken by the terrorists to reach the IAF base. It will ask Pakistan officials to shed light on the conspiracy, planning and infiltration, since the plan evidently originated in Pakistan.

It is crucial that the Pakistani team aids Indian agencies in determining who led the attack. Pakistani officials are also likely be allowed to question SP Salvinder Singh and others who were allegedly abducted by the terrorists before the attack.