New Delhi: Pakistan's Joint Investigation Team (JIT) visited Pathankot today to continue their probe into the January 2 attack, where seven Indian military personnel were killed by Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) terrorists, even as Congress and AAP intensified protests against the visit.
The Pakistani Joint Investigation Team (JIT) team accompanied by NIA officials entered the strategic airbase from its rear side after their convoy stopped at 'Upper Doaba' canal here and the members took a mini bus to travel through the dirt track next to the water body.
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The team, officials said, was taken to only the ‘scene of crime’ where the encounter occurred between the security men and terrorists and the entire process was videographed by two IAF personnel.
Security has been tightened in Pathankot ahead of the Pakistani probe team's visit. (Photo: Twitter)
A large number of security personnel, including Punjab Police SWAT team, were also deployed in view of the visit. Officials said the JIT visited the sanitised areas of the IAF base where the attackers had sneaked into leading to the over 80-hour gun battle that left at least four terrorists and seven security personnel.
Protesters carrying placards and black flags shouted slogans outside the base where the security forces have been deployed in strength.
Congress workers protest against the Pakistan probe team outside Pathankot airbase. (Photo: Twitter)
The AAP and Congress protesters accused the BJP led government of hurting the sentiments of Indians by allowing Pakistan team to probe terror attack on Indian soil. AAP's Delhi Minister Kapil Mishra, who was also in Pathankot, said allowing Pakistani JIT to visit the air base was 'shameful and disgusting'.
"For the first time in 35 years, we are saying that ISI was not supporting terrorism... the same people who have killed our people have come here... this is so shameful and disgusting," Mishra said. "This is an insult of our mother India. We will not let Modi government to do this," he said.
The Pakistan JIT, who landed at Sri Guru Ramdas International Airport in Amritsar on Tuesday morning, headed to the Pathankot attack site in bullet-proof SUVs to continue with their investigation, a first-of-its-kind investigation on Indian soil. Security has been tightened outside the Pathankot airbase ahead of the probe team's visit. A large police contingent has been deployed in and around Dhangu village where the IAF base is located.
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Earlier, Punjab Police escorted the convoy of the Pakistani team which also has ISI's Lt Col rank officer Tanvir Ahmed, Lahore's Deputy Director General Intelligence Bureau Mohammad Azim Arshad, Military Intelligence Lt Col Irfan Mirza and Gujaranwala CTD Investigating Officer Shahid Tanveer.
Police officials said they have diligently barricaded areas around the IAF facility. Orange and blue coloured tarpaulin can be seen draping the interiors of the strategic facility, in an apparent indication of 'visual prohibition' being put in place. "The district police has been informed about the visit and deployments have been done accordingly," a senior police official said.
While the visit by Pakistani sleuths has led to protests by political parties, it has also sparked curiosity among residents of the town. "We have heard about some agents or ISI moles being nabbed by police or intelligence agencies from this area in the past.... The curiosity is obvious," Prakash Sharma, a book stall owner near the Pathankot railway station, said.
"People even lined up the approach road to catch a glimpse of the convoy," Umesh Bhatia, a local medical student said.
The National Investigation Team (NIA) earlier issued a statement saying, “The JIT will be taken to different locations associated with the Pathankot attack case on March 29. The exercise is aimed at providing evidence to the Pakistan JIT so that all those guilty of the Pathankot attack can be prosecuted effectively in Pakistan.”
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Earlier on Monday, India officially handed over to Pakistani officials evidence that Pakistan based Jaish-e-Mohammed is the terrorist group it suspects was behind the attack on the Indian Air Force base at Pathankot, throwing the ball in Islamabad’s court to bring the probe to its logical conclusion and “act against the terrorists” taking shelter on its soil.
The NIA on Monday gave a detailed presentation of the 48-hour battle with terrorists to the five-member Pakistani joint investigation team (JIT) — including an ISI official — as it shared evidence collected by it that nails the role of terrorists operating from Pakistani soil who “planned and executed” the terror attack at the sensitive airbase.
Read: Nothing wrong if Pakistan wants to probe Pathankot terror case: BJP tells Congress
The JIT accepted the evidence, paving the way for the Pakistani team to visit the attack site on Tuesday morning. NIA D-G Sharad Kumar on Monday made it clear that the team would have “limited access” to the sensitive airbase. Officials stated that the Pakistani team would be visiting only those portions of the “crime scene” where the terrorists hid and carried out the attack that began in the intervening night of January 1-2.
Read: Pathankot: ISI probing ISI-backed terror, says Arvind Kejriwal
Among the evidence shared by the NIA were some phone numbers, including those of Rauf, brother of Jaish chief Masood Azhar, and companies which had supplied packed food to the terrorists. India also gave the reasoning behind naming people connected to Jaish-e-Mohammed, including Mullah Dadullah and Kashif Jaan. Their phone numbers (of Pakistan telecom operators like Mobilink, Warid and Telenor) were also shared. Kashif Jaan, one of the key handlers of the attackers, had accompanied the terrorists to the border, the sources said.
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“JIT of Pakistan and NIA team are interacting under extant legal procedures of India and Pakistan,” the NIA said in an official statement.
Noting that no permission has been given by the ministry of defence to enter the airbase, defence minister Manohar Parrikar, who had earlier publicly spoken against the planned visit of the Pakistani team to the Pathankot airbase, told a news agency the “crime scene” was under the NIA’s control and that it was up to the agency to decide who to allow or not.
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He added that the “crime scene”, a “non-sensitive” area, has been completely barricaded, including visually, on his orders, and that no defence asset would be used to facilitate the visit of the Pakistani team.
