Acting on the request of the National Investigation Agency (NIA), the Interpol on Tuesday issued a Red Corner Notice (RCN) against Pakistan-based terror group Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) chief Maulana Masood Azhar and his brother Abdul Rauf for their alleged role in the conspiracy to attack the strategic Indian Air Force (IAF) base at Pathankot.
Apart from Azhar and his brother Rauf, the NIA had also sought the RCN against JeM’s Kashif Jan and Shahid latif, handlers of the terrorists who carried out the attack at the airbase. The RCNs will also be issued against them, NIA officials said.
India has also sent a second letter Rogatory (lR) to Pakistan for providing evidence in connection with the attack. The second judicial request contains fresh evidence India has collected to strengthen its probe in the case, which points to the involvement of the JeM and Pakistani agencies in the audacious assault on the Defence installation.
Pakistan has not responded to the first lR given to it by India. The NIA said it has approached the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) to request Pakistan to respond to India’s lRs.
India has also sent a letter to Pakistan, reiterating its stand that there must be reciprocity from Pakistan and it must allow the NIA team to visit the country to conduct its investigation and collect evidence and record statements in the Pathankot attack case. Through the letter, India also sought dates for NIA’s visit to investigate the case in Pakistan. The move comes nearly three weeks after Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar had raised the issue of NIA’s reciprocal visit to Pakistan with his counterpart Aizaz Ahmad Chaudhry.
Through the visit, the NIA team also wants to review the progress made by Pakistan’s Joint Investigative Team in the Pathankot terror attack case there.
An RCN is meant to seek the location and arrest of wanted persons with a view to extradition or similar lawful action.
The legal basis for RCN is an arrest warrant or court order issued by the judicial authority of the requesting country.
In April this year, a NIA special court had issued arrest warrants against Azhar, Rauf Jaan and latif.
IRCNs are already pending against Azhar for his alleged involvement in the conspiracy behind attacks on the Indian Parliament and Jammu & Kashmir State Assembly. likewise, RCN is also pending against Rauf in connection with the IC-814 hijacking case of 1999.
Earlier, India’s efforts to proscribe Azhar as a terrorist at the United Nations were blocked by Pakistan’s all-weather friend China.
A group of six terrorists had infiltrated into India through Bamiyal sector of Punjab in the wee hours of December 30 and hit the airbase in the intervening night of January 1 and 2 this year. Seven security personnel were killed during the 80-hour long gunbattle. Bodies of four terrorists were recovered and another two are said to have been destroyed beyond recognition. The four liquidated terrorists include Nasir Hussain (Punjab province), Abu Bakar, (Gujranwala), Umar Farooq and Abdul Qayyum from Sindh.