New Delhi: The National Investigation Agency on Monday filed the chargesheet in connection with the attack on Pathankot Air Force base naming chief of Jaish-e-Mohammed chief Maulana Masood Azhar, his brother and two others for hatching the conspiracy.
The chargesheet filed before the designated NIA court at Panchkula under various sections of the Indian Penal Code, Explosive Substances Act, Arms Act and Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.
Apart from Masood Azhar the chargsheet also names, his brother Mufti Abdul Rauf Asghar and two handlers, Shahid Latif and Kashif Jan. According to the chargesheet, four militants were involved in the incident. They have been identified as Nasir Hussain, Hafiz Abu Bakar, Umar Farooq and Abdul Qayoom, all Pakistani nationals and Jaish operatives.
India is expected to use the chargesheet and details of the evidence to get Masood Azhar declared a designated global terrorist at international forums, particularly the United Nations.
The chargesheet clearly mentions that the entire conspiracy had been hatched by Masood Azhar and his brother Rauf Asghar while the two handlers, Shahid Latif and Kashif Jan, helped execute the actual plan.
While giving details of the entire conspiracy the chargesheet mentions how the four terrorists underwent extensive training and were radicalised to carry out terror strikes in India. Empty food packets manufactured in Pakistan and other food articles from the neighbouring country were recovered from the forest area near the Simbal Border Outpost during the course of investigations.
Importantly the NIA document gives details of how the terrorists communicated with their handler, Kashif Jan and senior leaders and operatives of the Jaish-e-Mohammad in Pakistan, on three Pakistan mobile numbers 923453030479, 923213132786 and 923017775253.
During investigation, the DNA profiles recovered from the dagger, seized from the possession of one of the dead terrorists, Nisar. Similarly, DNA profile of two terrorists was found on an energy drink can, recovered from a vehicle which they had snatched after killing its driver, Ikagar Singh.
The four militants has also hijacked a Mahindra XUV belonging to Salvinder Singh, Superintendent of Punjab Police, and moved towards the Air Force Station. One walkie-talkie set belonging to the terrorists and one slip written in English were recovered from the Mahindra vehicle. The terrorists had left the slip in which it was written, "Jaish E Muhamad Zindabad Tanghdar se le kar Samba Kathua Rajbagh Aur Delhi tak Afzal Guru Shadeed Kay Jan nisar Tum ko meltay rahege. Insha Allah. A.G.S. 25-12-15".
The chargesheet has also give details of the DNA samples and other forensic material collected from the vehicles that the militants had hijacked which helped them piece together the entire sequence of events. NIA officials claimed they had provided sufficient scientific, technical and oral evidence.
The NIA has also mentioned names of six protected persons, a jailed terrorist
and officials of Federal Bureau of Investigation and US Department of Justice figure as witnesses in the charge sheet. NIA has submitted statement of six witnesses in a sealed cover before requesting that the names of these people should be kept secret.
The list of witnesses also names a Special Agent of FBI and an official of US
Department of Justice who had executed the Indian request sent under Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty for getting the details from Facebook and other websites on which Jaish had uploaded an audio file claiming responsibility for the attack.
