It's ISI propaganda, India rubbishes Pak claim of staging' Pathankot attack

Islamabad/New Delhi: In a move that could further corrode India-Pakistan relations, Pakistan's Joint Investigation Team (JIT) which visited India to probe the Pathankot terror strike, have accused India of using the attack as part of its 'vicious propaganda' against Islamabad.

A five-member Pakistani JIT had visited Pathankot to probe into the January 2 attack, where seven Indian military personnel were killed by Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) terrorists.

Terming it as ISI propaganda, Indian government sources said JIT has not officially communicated anything to NIA on Pathankot attacks.

The Pakistan JIT, headed by Additional Inspector General of Police, Counter Terrorism Department, Muhammad Tahir Rai and also including ISI's Lt Col Tanvir Ahmed, in turn, had shared with India's National Investigation Agency the results of probe carried out by them in Pakistan so far.

Sources told Pakistan Today that the JIT has slammed India over its claims of Pakistani hand in the attack, saying that New Delhi continues to expand its propaganda ‘without having any solid evidence to back the claim’.

One of the JIT members said the brutal murder of NIA official Tanzil Ahmed, who was probing the Air Base attack, is evidence that India wants to keep the matter under wraps, reported Pakistan media.

The report also claims the Indian government did not cooperate with the JIT and instead made efforts to hinder the probe by the Pakistani team.

On Friday, the JIT returned to Pakistan after their five-day visit to India during which all evidence pertaining to the attack was shared with them, including the DNA of four terrorists, their identities as well as call records showing involvement of JeM.

The JIT had on Thursday examined 13 witnesses, including former Gurdaspur Superintendent of Police Salwinder Singh.

Pakistani terrorists attacked the Pathankot Air Force Station in January this year, in which four attackers and two security forces personnel were killed in the gun battle, with an additional security force member dying from injuries hours later.

After JIT’s visit, NIA had said that Indian investigators will also visit Pakistan to take forward the probe into the terror attack on the strategic Indian Air Force base. Dates for the visit will be worked out later, Director General of NIA, Sharad Kumar had said.