Jaish-e-Mohammad members arrested after Indian air base attack: PM House
Civil and military leadership agree to remain in contact with India on Pathankot incident.
ISLAMABAD (Web Desk) – In a key development in ongoing probe into Pathankot incident, Pakistan has arrested several members of Jaish-e-Mohammad, a banned outfit, while its chief Maulana Masood Azhar has also been taken into protective custody while a student of the leading institute Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS) was also arrested during a secret crackdown.
Also Read: LUMS student arrested over suspected involvement in Pathankot attack
Reportedly, the government has also shut down offices of the said banned outfit on leads provided by the Indian authorities in connection with January 2 attack on Indian airbase in Pathankot, the spokesperson for PM House said on Wednesday after a high-level meeting chaired by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif concluded in Islamabad.
The spokesperson stated that Pakistan is now mulling to send a special team to India to obtain additional information from the scene of the attack.
PM Nawaz has also formed an investigation team comprising 6 persons to investigate further on the case. The committee comprises of Director Intelligence Bureau Lahore Azeem Arshad, Director Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) Lahore Usman Anwar, Brigadier Noman Saeed, Military Intelligence’s Lieutenant Colonel Irfan Mirza and Anti-Terrorism Wing Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Additional Inspector General (IG) Salahuddin. Additional IG Counter Terrorism Department Punjab Rai Tahir Naeem will be the convener of the team.
Read Further: Maulana Masood Azhar taken in protective custody
The prime minister‘s office that the offices of the group were being traced and sealed across the country.
The high-level meeting was chaired by PM Nawaz was attended by Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan, Finance Minister Ishaq Dar, Advisor on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz, National Security Advisor retired Lt General Nasir Khan Janjua, Personal Assistant to Prime Minister Tariq Fatemi, Chief Minister Punjab Shahbaz Sharif, Chief of Army Staff General Raheel Sharif, DG ISI and other high officials.
Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif chairing high level meeting at PM House. pic.twitter.com/9cQ3Oc62jA
— PML(N) [Official] (@pmln_org) January 13, 2016
VIDEO: PM Nawaz chaired a high-level meeting in Islamabad today.
The participants also agreed to remain in contact with India on Pathankot incident.
On the occasion, the Prime Minister reiterated that Pakistan’s territory will not be used against any other country.
Earlier, in his statement following a suicide attack near a polio vaccination centre in Quetta, Nawaz Sharif said the government is committed to stamp out extremism from the country and the operation will continue till elimination of terrorism.
He said Pakistan Army has destroyed hideouts of terrorists and is now engaged to eliminate terrorists.
Meanhwile Punjab Law Minister Rana Sanaullah while speaking to Dunya News on the show Dunya Kamran Khan Kay Sath , stated that India s own people were involved in the attack. He stated that the links between suspects arrested from Punjab and Pathankot attackers could not be confirmed.
Indian officials suspect the January 2 attack on the Pathankot base, which left seven soldiers dead, was carried out by the banned Pakistan-based group Jaish-e-Mohammad.
The incident has overshadowed plans for talks between the two rival nations later this week.
The attack -- a rare targeting of an Indian military installation outside disputed Kashmir -- threatened to undermine improving relations with Pakistan, with talks between the two countries’ foreign secretaries set to be held on January 15 in Islamabad.
It came about a week after Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi paid a surprise visit to Pakistan, the first by an Indian premier in 11 years.
Modi had urged Nawaz to take "firm and immediate action" against those behind the attack after New Delhi had passed on "specific and actionable information" about the incident.
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