Pathankot witnesses from Indian forces not produced before JIT: Pakistan

A day after India dismissed a report in the Pakistani media, which claimed that one of the members of the Joint Investigating Team (JIT) had anonymously said the January 2 Pathankot attack was a “drama” staged by India, Pakistan said that the JIT that was in India to probe the Pathankot terror attack had visited the “crime scene” but witnesses from the Indian security forces were not produced before the probe team. A statement from the Pakistan foreign office said that the JIT visited the crime scene and also recorded the statements of some witnesses. However, the statement did not mention the controversy and tried to address India’s misgivings about the JIT’s visit to Delhi and Pathankot

“The visit of the JIT to India took place in the context of the cooperative approach being pursued by the government of Pakistan as part of its commitment to effectively fight terrorism in all its forms,” said the statement. According to the statement, the JIT, during its visit to India from 27 March to 1 April, was given a presentation by the NIA regarding its investigations into the attack. It also visited the crime scene and recorded the statements of some witnesses.

The foreign office did not make it clear that when the JIT would submit its report. They have also made no reference about whether charges would be framed in Pakistani court on the basis of evidence collected. Earlier, a Pakistan Today report said that the Indian authorities had prior information about the attackers” but the country used the incident as a tool to expand its “vicious propaganda”. A report in Pakistan Today news website said that the Pakistani JIT was allowed in the Pathankot airbase from a narrow passage out of a breach in the compound wall rather than the main entry gate.” The report added that the team was denied the opportunity to collect evidence from the site of the attack and no major damage was done to the base and that the Indian authorities showed the JIT the place from where the gunmen had entered.

Indian authorities had dismissed reports from Pakistan that the National Investigation Agency didn’t have solid case linking Jaish-e-Mohammed or its chief Masood Azhar to the Pathankot terror attack.

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