Published On : Wed, Jan 13th, 2016

Pakistan acts against Jaish-e-Mohammed, may send investigators to India

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pathankot air baseIslamabad/Nagpur: Pakistan has detained members of the Jaish-e-Mohammed, the terror group blamed by India for the deadly attack on the Pathankot Air Force base earlier this month, in which seven military personnel were martyred.

Here are the 10 latest developments in this story:
1) “Several individuals belonging to Jaish-e-Mohammad, have been apprehended. The offices of the organization are also being traced and sealed,” said a statement from the office of Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif.

2) Reports emerging from Pakistan suggest that relatives of the Jaish-e-Mohammed chief, Masood Azhar , may also have been detained.

3) Pakistan has said it is considering investigators to India to follow up on its investigations. The Indian government has not yet reacted on whether this will be permitted.

4) India has strongly suggested that without action against those responsible for the attacks, it will not go ahead with Foreign Secretary talks of the two countries which had tentatively been set for Friday in Islamabad.

5) Prime Minister Narendra Modi had over the phone asked Pakistani Premier Nawaz Sharif for prompt and decisive action on the basis of specific evidence, Mr Sharif then set up a committee of his top intel, army and government officers to investigate India’s allegations.

6) Investigators from Pakistan are expected to travel to India soon. Islamabad has said that some evidence submitted by India does not check out – it has reportedly conveyed that the phone numbers called by the terrorists from Pathankot are not registered in Pakistan, as claimed by Delhi.

7) Talks between the Foreign Secretaries are likely to be delayed, said government sources. A decision could be taken tonight when Foreign Secretary Jaishankar returns to Delhi from a visit to Sri Lanka.

8) Army Chief General Dalbir Singh said today that the army will “carry out any task” it is assigned, in reaction to Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar’s strong comments, made yesterday, that “Those who harmed us will also feel the pain.”

9) The attack at Pathankot took place a week after PM Modi made an unscheduled visit to Pakistan to see Mr Sharif in an initiative to speed up the rapprochement between the two countries after a year of simmering tension.

10) PM Modi visited Pathankot earlier this week. It remains unclear how the attackers infiltrated the fortified base, which has a 24-km (15-mile) perimeter surrounded by a 3-metre (10-foot) wall topped with concertina wire.