Pakistan’s law enforcement agencies have arrested around a dozen people from different cities of southern Punjab on suspicion of their links with terrorists who attacked Indian airbase in Pathankot earlier this month.
According to a spokesman for Pakistan Prime Minister Office, Islamabad has decided to share the development with Indian side and send a top level investigation team to New Delhi to further look into the matter.
A meeting chaired by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif was informed on Wednesday that the banned outfit, Jaish-e-Muhammad (JeM), which allegedly conducted Pathankot attack were secretly operating in four cities of Punjab.
The offices in Bahwalnagar, Bahawalpur, Multan and Muzafargarh have been sealed and the suspected members have been arrested, top officials briefed the premier.
The meeting which was also attended by Chief of Army Staff General Raheel Sharif, DG Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) Lt-Gen Rizwan Akhter, Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan, Prime Minister’s National Security Adviser Lt-Gen (r) Nasir Janjua and Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif, was told that the arrested people could be possible facilitators of Pathankot attackers.
The participants of meeting agreed that Pakistan would continue acting against terrorists and none of militant groups would be treated with discrimination.
“Islamabad will now approach New Delhi to exchange more information about the attackers and their link in Pakistan and the matter would be taken to a logical finding,” the statement added.
The development comes just two days ahead of a meeting between foreign secretaries of two countries, who will lay down a road map of resumption of comprehensive dialogue between Pakistan and India in Islamabad on January 15.
Reports by Indian media suggested that New Delhi had clearly conveyed to Islamabad that they will hold any such meeting only if Pakistan would take some serious action against the alleged militants who had links with the attackers of Pathankot airbase.
India has alleged that the attack was orchestrated by Jaish, though the United Jihad Council, a group based in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, claimed responsibility for the attack.
The evidence provided by India is said to include voice recordings and phone numbers of the terrorists’ handlers which were traced to Pakistan.
However, Pakistan had initially said that phone numbers and call transcripts supplied by India did not check out and that the numbers were not registered there.
