Pathankot attack: Pakistan finds no evidence of Jaish chief's involvement

Pakistan has decided that there’s no evidence to prove that the head of terror group Jaish-e-Mohammed was involved with last month’s deadly attack at the Pathankot air force base, according to Pakistani media.  

The Express Tribune reports that “Pakistani authorities have conveyed to New Delhi that there was no substantial evidence that could prove the involvement of Maulana Azhar in the Pathankot assault”.

Six gunmen attacked an Indian Air Force base in Pathankot on January 2, leading to a three-day-long standoff that killed seven soldiers. India claims that the attackers belonged to the JeM and that they had snuck in from southern Punjab district of Bahawalpur. 

After the attack, Pakistan had pledged its commitment to assisting India’s investigation. In fact, Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif set up a team of top-level military, intel and government officers to follow up on the evidence provided by New Delhi.

Subsequently, a crackdown was launched in Punjab against the JeM, its headquarters was sealed and dozens of activists detained. The special investigation team has also since been working on the Indian ‘leads’. It is also expected to visit India to study the evidence the Indians have.

It is now learnt that the Pakistani SIT informed the civil and military leadership that the Indian evidence was insufficient to implicate Maulana Azhar.