Rana Sanaullah, the minister for law in the eastern Punjab province, says Azhar is in the custody of the Counter-Terrorism Department but that so far no case against him has been registered, a requirement under Pakistani law that precedes an indictment.
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Earlier, the government chose not to confirm or deny the reports that Azhar has been taken into “protective custody”.
The Pathankot attack took place just a week after Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi flew to Lahore and met Sharif in a bid to push forward the dialogue between the two countries.
India has also agreed to host a team from Pakistan to investigate the Pathankot attacks.
Pakistani media quoted unidentified sources as saying that “concerned authorities” interrogated Masood Azhar and the others about the Pathankot attack that left seven security personnel dead. It has also blamed his brother Rauf and five others of involvement in the attack.
Foreign Office said on Thursday that the secretary-level talks between Pakistan and India have been delayed for some days but not cancelled, as Islamabad and New Delhi are considering new dates.
The action against JeM has been taken on the basis of what is described as “creditable leads” provided by Indian National Security Adviser Chief Ajit Doval to his Pakistani counterpart, Lieutenant General Nasser Khan Janjua (Retd).
At a briefing of the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), spokesperson Vikas Swarup welcomed the statement the Pak Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued on Wednesday night and said the talks have been rescheduled by mutual consent.
Jaish-e-Mohammed was set up to fight Indian rule in Kashmir.
The Dawn said Pakistan must ensure that the initial actions against JeM were converted into “sustained and meaningful measures that ensure the long-term dismantling of militant groups”. “Specific and actionable information in this regard has been provided to Pakistan”, a statement from his office said last week.
Both countries are in touch for new date of the talks, the Foreign Ministry spokesman said in Islamabad on Thursday. “Action taken against JeM is an important & positive first step”.
They also purportedly had a meeting in Dubai, though it was not confirmed.
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“We hope that Pakistan will continue its investigation and bring all perpetrators to justice”, he said. Meanwhile, Pakistan Spokesman in a statement said the PIA office in New Delhi was ransacked on Thursday by a group of extremists. Preliminary investigation suggests that the accused are associates of the person who had called up the police previous year regarding “beef” being served at Kerala House here, an official said.
