Pakistani team to seek access to crime scene in Pathankot

Investigators to visit India once initial probe completes

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan will send its high-powered investigation team to India once its initial probe into the Pathankot air base assault is completed and it is allowed to visit the crime scene, The Express Tribune learnt on Sunday.

After the January 2 attack on the Indian Air Force base that left seven soldiers dead, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif had constituted a special investigation team to probe the case. A senior official, however, said it was yet to be decided if the team would travel to India.



“There are so many issues that need to be sorted out before a Pakistani team travels to India,” explained the official. “We have to wait for preliminary investigations to be completed, based on the information and leads provided by India.”



Meanwhile, India has yet to complete its own investigation. Once the investigation is complete, said the official, Islamabad will formally request New Delhi to allow its team to visit.

If the visit materialises, Pakistan will not only seek access to the Pathankot air base but will also need to examine the bodies of the six attackers to ascertain their nationalities. Indian media claim that the assailants had come from Pakistan.



“There are many unanswered questions — the Indian media is claiming the attackers had come from Pakistan, but the Indian Border Security Force’s statement said no such infiltration took place,” said the official.

On January 16, Indian Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar had said his country would not allow Pakistani investigators to visit the air base, which could potentially become a stumbling block in the probe.

At his weekly briefing last week, Indian Foreign Ministry spokesman Vikas Swarup said India, in principle, welcomed the decision of the Pakistani government to consider sending an investigation team.

“The rest is a matter of detail. Where they can visit, what they can see, what will be the terms of reference, etc. As I said, those will need to be worked out in detail between the agencies on both sides, provided the Pakistani government firms up its decision to send that special investigation team.”

The issue of Pathankot attack probe is being handled at the highest level by the two sides through their respective national security advisers.



Both Lt Gen (retd) Nasser Khan Janjua and his Indian counterpart Ajit Doval have been in regular contact to discuss the concerns regarding the investigations.

Pakistan’s special investigation team comprises officials from the Federal Investigation Agency and security agencies.

Several suspects allegedly linked to the attack are being questioned while Maulana Masood Azhar, the head of the banned militant organisation Jaish-e-Mohammad, was taken into protective custody for his possible involvement.

The nascent peace process between the two countries appears to be hinging upon progress into the Pathankot attack investigations.

The scheduled meeting between the two countries’ foreign secretaries that was to take place on January 15 was also postponed.

The two sides said the decision on the crucial talks was mutual and it will be rescheduled in ‘very near future’.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 25^th,  2016.