Pakistan to Complete Pathankot Probe This Week

Indian security forces patrol inside the Indian air force base in Pathankot, India, Sunday, 3 January 2016. (Photo: AP)

The Pakistani team investigating the Pathankot terror attack will complete its probe this week, a top official said on Monday.

Earlier after three suspects in the high-profile case were remanded to police custody.

Prime Minister’s Special Assistant on Foreign Affairs Syed Tariq Fatemi spoke in a Pakistani radio saying that:

The Joint Investigation Team (JIT) will complete probe into Pathankot incident this week.

Pakistan last week set up a five-member JIT to probe the terror attack on the Pathankot airbase, a week after it lodged an FIR over the assault without naming Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) chief Masood Azhar who India has accused of having masterminded the strike.

Earlier, a six-member Special Investigation Team (SIT) was set up by the federal government for the initial probe into the 2 January attack based on the leads given by India. Three men arrested for their alleged role in the attack were sent to a six-day police remand by an anti-terrorism court in Gujranwala city of Punjab on Saturday.

The FIR by the Counter-Terrorism Department of Punjab police has been lodged on the basis of information provided by National Security Adviser Ajit Doval that four attackers crossed from Pakistan into India and attacked the airbase.

The attack led to the postponement of a scheduled meeting between Foreign Secretaries of Pakistan and India in January in Islamabad. Since then, no date has been fixed for the talks. Meanwhile, Fatemi also said the dates for the upcoming SAARC Summit in Islamabad are being worked out in consultation with member states. He said Prime Minister Narendra Modi is also expected to attend the summit.

Read More: Pathankot Attack Slowed Down Indo-Pak Talks, Claims Nawaz Sharif