Pathankot attack: NIA to seek access to Pak-based masterminds

After India allowed a Pakistani probe team to visit Pathankot air base, the NIA, which is investigating the case, has decided to seek access to Pakistan - based JeM chief Maulana Masood Azhar and his brother-in-law Abdul Rauf, alleged masterminds of the brazen assault.

“We will seek access to Masood Azhar and his brother-in-law at an appropriate time,” Director General of National Investigative Agency (NIA) Sharad Kumar said here.

He said both of them were accused in the case and, at some stage, they needed to be questioned.

While Azhar is wanted by India in several terror related incidents, including the Parliament attack case and bomb blast at Srinagar Assembly in year 2001, Rauf has a pending Red Corner notice against him in connection with the 1999 hijacking of an Indian Airlines plane from Kathmandu.

When asked how soon would India seek access to the Jaish-e-Mohammed terrorists in Pakistan, Kumar said, “We will cross the bridge when we get there”.

He said during tomorrow’s meeting with the Pakistani Joint Investigation Team (JIT), which has come to probe the Pathankot terror attack case, NIA will seek details of the investigation carried out by them so far.

“After all, we should also know about the probe (conducted by them) as we had handed over a list of requests including identifying some of the phone numbers which the terrorists had called minutes before launching the attack,” he said.

JeM terrorists had carried out a terror attack on the intervening night of January one and two on the strategic IAF base in Pathankot. Seven security personnel were killed, while bodies of four terrorists were also recovered.