“The action against the Jaish-e-Mohammad (group) is an important and positive first step”, he said.
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The January 2 assault on the Pathankot air base came just days after Prime Minister Narendra Modi became the first Indian leader to visit Pakistan in 11 years, in a diplomatic outreach that had raised hopes of a softening in relations between the nuclear-armed rivals.
Former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah on Friday said normal dialogue between India and Pakistan couldn’t have taken place under the shadow of the Pathankot terror attack.
The attack, which killed seven Indian soldiers and all six attackers, sparked concerns it could derail a recently launched peace process to resolve decades-old disputes, including Kashmir.
“We have taken Maulana Azhar and his fellows under protective custody in connection with the Pathankot incident”. Azhar’s brother Abdul Rehman Rauf has also been detained, Geo TV said. There is speculation that the NSAs of the two countries may meet before the FS-level talks. The officials didn’t elaborate and spoke on condition of anonymity because they aren’t authorized to speak to reporters.
He said that terrorism is to be curbed at all levels.
India yesterday deferred a decision on the talks apparently because of lack of confirmation on Azhar’s arrest.
India has long accused Pakistan of turning a blind eye to Islamic militants who have staged cross-border attacks and battled Indian forces in the disputed Kashmir region.
He was freed along with two other militants as part of a demand by five hijackers behind the December 1999 hijacking of an Indian Airlines passenger plane that was taken to Kandahar, Afghanistan.
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The spokesman welcomed Pakistan’s announcement on Wednesday that JeM activists had been arrested and its offices sealed.
