“India has welcomed the Pakistan’s response to send special investigation team to India to probe attack on Indian airbase in Pathankot”.
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He said, “We are looking for action that is credible”.
India alleged that the six terrorists who attacked the Indian Air Force (IAF) station in Pathankot in Punjab on January 2, killing seven security personnel, were Pakistanis and linked with the JeM. The crackdown in Punjab province, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s power base and the headquarters of Jaish-e-Mohammad, follows the arrest this week of several members of the militant group, including its leader, Maulana Masood Azhar, an Islamist hardliner and long-time foe of India.
Speaking at a press conference in the Pakistani capital on Thursday night, senior spokesperson of Pak Foreign Office Qazi Khalilullah said that Indian Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar would visit Islamabad later, as the two countries planned to reschedule the talks. “No meeting has taken place, nor any meeting has been scheduled”, said Swarup. Sources said everything would be clear after National Security Adviser Ajit Doval’s communication with his Pakistani counterpart Nasser Khan Janjua, today.
However, despite media reports quoting several police and intelligence officials on the “protective detention” and questioning of JeM founder Masood Azhar, there was no confirmation from the Pakistani government of this, the MEA said.
Responding to a questioner, Mr Swarup said the comprehensive dialogue between the two nations had not been put on hold and the two Foreign Secretaries would discuss the modalities of the resuming the talks.
He told a news briefing that both sides were holding consultations to reschedule the talks.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi made a surprise visit to Pakistan last month which was seen as a potential sign of thawing relations between the two nuclear-armed neighbours.
But the spokesman said he had no knowledge about Masood Azhar’s arrest.
Pakistan in the aftermath of the attack said that it would take action against Mr Azhar’s group whose headquarters are in Punjab province. After his return to Pakistan, Azhar split with Harkatul Mujahideen in year 2000 and formed his own militant outfit Jaish-i-Mohammad.
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The offices had reportedly been sealed in Bahwalnagar, Bahawalpur, Multan and Muzafargarh cities and the suspected members of the group were also held, top officials briefed Sharif.
