ISLAMABAD - Pakistan yesterday told India their leads were not enough to unmask the perpetrators of the Pathankot attack as authorities arrested a few suspects linked with proscribed Jaish-e-Mohammed outfit.
Officials said Islamabad sent the initial investigation report to New Delhi asking them to provide more information for results.
A senior Pakistani security official said Pakistan had nothing to do with the Pathankot attack. “We are not behind it,” the security official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said. “We suspect it could be the Sikhs. They might have used some Muslims to carry out the attack.”
The official dismissed the claim of responsibility by Syed Salahuddin, the leader of United Jihad Council. “If someone got to make him the statement, it wasn’t wise,” the official said. “If he has issued the statement himself, it wasn’t wise either,” he continued. The official noted the attackers seemed poorly trained and lacked any specific target in the Indian air force base. “Whenever an intelligence agency carries out an attack, it aims at the most important strategic assets,” he explained.
Senior government officials said some arrest had already been made but to move forward Pakistan would need more evidence. “An initial report has been sent to India. We have asked for more information so that we can get to the bottom of it. We are moving forward,” said a senior government official told The Nation.
He said raids were carried out in Gujranwala, Jhelum and Bahawalpur districts and an unspecified number of people were arrested. “They are only suspects. We will find out after interrogations if they have any links with the Pathankot attack or not. They are suspected to be linked with banned outfits,” he added.
India had given cell phone numbers and intercepts to Pakistan as evidence. It believes Pathankot attackers used the numbers - 03000597212 and 03017775253 - before storming the air base.
The official said the investigation into the cell phone numbers was complete and the investigators could not find any registration record. “These numbers are not registered in Pakistan. We are keeping these numbers with us but will be moving on for other clues too. We will be waiting for more details from India,” he added.
Yesterday, Indian National Security Adviser Ajit Doval denied reports the upcoming Foreign Secretary level talks between Pakistan and India have been called off. He was earlier quoted as saying that New Delhi was not ready for peace dialogue or the foreign secretary level talks – scheduled for January 15 - with Pakistan “as long as Pakistan doesn’t take action against those guilty of Pathankot attack and India is satisfied with Pakistan’s action on the issue.”
However, shortly afterwards, Doval denied making any such remark. “I speak to journalists every day. But I do not remember giving any such interview. I strongly deny that I made such a statement.” He added dates for the foreign secretary-level talks have not been fixed and the talks will happen if Pakistan takes action against the perpetrators of the Pathankot airbase terror attack.