Live: Pak JIT Visits the Region Where Ikagar Singh was Found Dead
Security has been tightened outside Pathankot airbase ahead of Pakistan JIT’s visit to Pathankot.
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- Pakistan JIT visited Pathankot airbase amid protesting members of Congress and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP).
- BJP Chief Amit Shah says, “For the first time Pakistan has made serious effort towards investigation.”
- AAP, Congress and RSS workers protest against Pakistan JIT’s visit to Pathankot.
- Large contingent of security forces were deployed around Pathankot prior to JIT’s visit.
- Pakistan team had only “restricted” access to the air base.
Pakistan JIT Visit Bamial Border
The Pakistan JIT has reached the second location which is under investigation in the case of Pathankot terror attack – the Bamial border.
A taxi driver, Ikagar Singh’s dead body was found along this border region. The terrorists are believed to have killed the taxi driver after hijacking his car.
The car in which Punjab police superintendent Salwinder Singh, his jeweller friend Rajesh Verma and his butler Madan Gopal was also hijacked by the terrorists in the same region on the night 1 January.
As per CNN reports, the NIA will ‘confront’ the JIT on their investigation on the attack on Pathankot airbase on Wednesday with specific concerns over JeM Chief Masood Azhar’s alleged involvement in orchestrating the attack.
Expressing doubts over the Pakistan JIT’s visit, BJP MP and former Home Secretary RK Singh said:
Pakistan JIT Leaves Pathankot Airbase
Pakistan’s JIT leaves the Pathankot air force base.
Commenting on the five-member team’s visit at the Kolkata Press Club, BJP Chief, Amit Shah said:
Pakistan JIT Arrives at Pathankot Airbase
The Pakistan Joint Investigation Team arrives at the Pathankot airbase.
Congress and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) workers hold protests outside the airbase against the visit.
A large number of security personnel, including Punjab Police SWAT team have been deployed in view of the visit. Media was meanwhile kept at the bay.
The Pakistani team includes ISI’s Lt Col rank officer Tanvir Ahmed, Lahore’s Deputy Director General Intelligence Bureau Mohammad Azim Arshad, Military Intelligence Lt Col Irfan Mirza and Gujaranwala CTD Investigating Officer Shahid Tanver.
This is the first time that that Pakistan is collaborating with India on a terror attack investigation.
Security Tightened Outside Pathankot Airbase
Security has been tightened outside Pathankot airbase ahead of Pakistan JIT’s visit to Pathankot. A large police contingent has been deployed in and around Dhangu village where the IAF base is located.
The government has made it clear that the Pakistani team will have only “restricted” access to the air base with the NIA taking them to selected areas where the over 80-hour gun battle led to the killing of at least four terrorists and seven security personnel.
Orange and blue coloured tarpaulin has been draped on the interiors of the strategic facility, in an apparent indication of “visual prohibition”.
AAP and Congress Workers Protest Against Joint Investigation Team’s Visit
Congress workers have staged a protest in Pathankot against the Pakistan Joint Investigation Team’s visit to the Pathankot airbase.
The Opposition had earlier slammed the decision to grant access to Pathankot Airbase, which is a strategically important base.
Chief Minister of Delhi, Arvind Kejriwal had also criticised the decision adding that India has been targetted by Pakistan time and again.
Slamming the move, the Congress said that the “unfettered access” given to Pakistan’s JIT is an almost like a “red carpet welcome” which raised serious questions on procedural propriety in relation to a compromise on national security.
The AAP and Congress protesters accused the BJP led government of hurting the sentiments of Indians by allowing a Pakistan team to probe a terror attack on Indian soil.
AAP’s Delhi Minister Kapil Mishra, who was also in Pathankot, said allowing Pakistani JIT to visit the air base was “shameful and disgusting”.
Shiv Sena Slams Pakistan JIT’s Visit
Pak JIT Leaves for Pathankot
The five-member Pakistan JIT has left for Pathankot from Amritsar Airport in bullet-proof SUVs.
The Opposition had earlier slammed the access granted to the Pakistan JIT in the Pathankot Air Base, which is a strategically important base.
Pakistan JIT Maintained Silence for Seven Hours in NIA HQs
The five-member Pakistan JIT – headed by Chief of Punjab’s Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) Muhammad Tahir Rai – reached the NIA HQs at 11 am on Monday. The other members are Lahore’s Deputy Director General Intelligence Bureau Mohammad Azim Arshad, Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) official Lt Col Tanvir Ahmed, Military Intelligence official Lt Col Irfan Mirza and Gujaranwala CTD Investigating Officer Shahid Tanveer.
According to NIA sources, the JIT was receptive to all the information shared by the investigators. Till now, JIT has not shared any information with NIA but they are likely to do so on Wednesday.
Once the Pakistan JIT returns to Pakistan, NIA is likely to schedule it’s own visit to the country. According to the sources, Pakistan team didn’t question the evidence provided to them on the involvement of JeM. But the question remains – is their silence a sign of acceptance or indifference?
The NIA gave an official statement on the visit by Pakistan JIT:
Exclusive Details of the NIA Presentation to Pakistan JIT
The Quint got exclusive access to the details of the presentation given by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) to the Pakistan Joint Investigation Team (JIT) in the Pathankot terror probe.
The JIT arrived in Delhi on Sunday, 27 March. On Monday, the Pakistan JIT spent seven hours in the NIA headquarters in Delhi. During the presentation made to the Pakistan team, NIA emphasised the role of the Pakistan-based Jaish-e- Mohammad (JeM) terror group in the attack. So far the JIT has not disputed or countered the role of JeM in the attack.
- India will not give the Pakistani team direct access to the witnesses, but they will be asked to hand over their questionnaire to NIA officials, who will then get the answers from the witnesses and pass them on to the JIT.
- NIA has demanded access to the JeM handlers and witnesses (like family members of four terrorists) in Pakistan for questioning.
- NIA will share the DNA samples, photographs and background details of the four terrorists killed in the Pathankot terror attack.The investigators will hand over the voice samples of the handlers of JeM terror group to JIT.
- The NIA has already shared the names of three JeM handlers through Letter Rogatory; Ashfaq Ahmad, Hafiz Abdul Shakur and Qasim were giving instructions to the terrorists in Pathankot from Bahawalpur city in Pakistan.
- NIA demanded questioning of Abdul Rauf Ashgar, brother of JeM Chief Maulana Masood Azhar, who claimed the responsibility for the attack.
- NIA has also told the Pakistan team to begin an investigation against JeM Chief Maulana Musood Azhar.
Congress, AAP Slam Access to Pakistan JIT
The Opposition has slammed the access granted to the Pakistan JIT in the Pathankot Air Base – a strategically important base.
Congress member and spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said that the Modi-government has taken a u-turn in its policy towards Pakistan poses a threat to national security.
Surjewala, in his statement, has raised eight points questioning the government’s decision.
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has also slammed the government decision to let the Pakistani team inside the airbase.
Adding that India has been targetted by Pakistan time and again, Kejriwal said that the government of India has bowed down to Pakistan.
Parrikar Washes His Hands off the Controversy
Washing his hands off the controversy over the JIT’s visit to the Pathankot airbase, Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar said that the crime scene has been handed over to the NIA long back. Who can and cannot enter there is entirely at the discretion of NIA officials, he said.
Noting that no permission has been given by the Defence Ministry for entry into the airbase, he said that the “crime scene”, a “non-sensitive” area, has been completely barricaded, including visually, on his orders.
Parrikar added that no defence asset will be used to facilitate the Pakistan JIT’s visit to the airbase.
Parrikar, who had earlier publicly spoken against the planned visit of the Pakistani team to the Pathankot airbase, said the crime scene was the least sensitive and non-functional area except for a hostel for foreign cadres and mess.
He added that permission to speak to any defence personnel about the issue has been refused. Any questions related to the issue should be directed towards NIA, he said.
‘Cooperative’ Pakistan JIT to Be Given Limited Access in Pathankot
India and Pakistan began formal discussions on investigations into the terror attack at the Pathankot IAF base on Monday. This is the first-ever visit of a Joint Investigation Team (JIT) from the neighbouring country that included an ISI official to India.
National Investigation Agency Chief has said that the Pakistani team was “cooperative” during the meeting and has been given limited access to the base.
In an official statement for the NIA, Inspector General Sanjeev Singh said:
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