Jaish e Mohammed's Masood Azhar has been named mastermind of the Pathankot terror attack
Highlights
- Jaish-e-Mohammad's Masood Azhar, his brother, 2 more named in chargesheet
- 7 security men were killed in the January 2 attack on Pathankot air base
- Chargesheet to be used to highlight terror group Jaish's strikes in India
Jaish-e-Mohammad chief Masood Azhar, his brother Abdul Rauf Asghar and two others of the Pakistan-based terror group have been formally charged for the deadly attack on the Pathankot air force base in January. The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has named Masood Azhar as the mastermind of the January 2 attack in which heavily armed terrorists hijacked a police car and entered the highly secure air force base in Punjab, killing seven security men before being shot dead in an 80-hour operation.
Here are 10 points in the story
All four attackers were from Pakistan, said the investigating agency, naming Jaish members Shahid Latif and Kashif Jan as their handlers.
The NIA submitted a charge-sheet in a trial court in Punjab's Mohali today, wrapping up an 11-month investigation.
An Interpol Red Corner notice has been put out for Masood Azhar, his brother and Shahid Latif.
The terrorists have been identified by the NIA as Nasir Hussain, Hafiz Abu Bakar, Umar Farooq and Abdul Qayum. Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar had earlier said that there were six terrorists in all.
As proof that the attackers were from Pakistan, the charge-sheet lists DNA samples, food packets from Pakistan found in the forests near the base, a walkie talkie set and a note found in the car used by the terrorists to drive to the base, which said "Jaish e Mohammed Zindabad..."
Punjab Police officer Salwinder Singh, whose account of being kidnapped and tied up by the terrorists was questioned, has been named as a witness. The terrorists, says the NIA, hijacked his car and also used his phone to talk to their handlers.
The chargesheet is likely to be used by New Delhi internationally to raise the pitch against terror boss Masood Azhar, who was released in exchange for passengers of hijacked Indian Airlines plane IC-814 in 1999. Earlier this year, China blocked India's attempts to get UN sanctions against Azhar and his group.
"It was established during investigation that the terrorists entered into a criminal conspiracy to infiltrate into the territory of India and to commit a terrorist attack and wage war against the Government," says the agency. The terrorists, it says, were subjected to an extensive motivational, physical, military and tactical training regimen.
The attack came a week after Prime Minister Narendra Modi paid a surprise trip to Pakistan to visit his counterpart Nawaz Sharif and derailed a tentative thaw between the neighbours.
The government confronted opposition criticism as it allowed a team of Pakistani officials, including those from its Inter Services Intelligence or ISI, to inspect Pathankot as part of its investigations. The Pakistani team, on returning home, claimed that India hadn't shared much evidence and not allowed it to interrogate security men either.
Post a comment