Amid convergence of the probes into the Pathankot airbase attack case by India and Pakistan, the Pakistani JIT on Thursday recorded statements of senior Punjab Police officer Salwinder Singh, his jeweller friend Rajesh Verma and cook Madan Gopal besides ten other witnesses.
The NIA has formally given documents — including autopsy reports of the slain terorrists, DNA reports, ballistic report of arms with Pakistani markings, details of calls that established that the terrorists spoke to their Pakistani handlers. The NIA findings of the probe converge with that of the JIT in some contexts. The JIT, more or less, agreed that the slain terrorists hailed from Pakistan and is collecting evidence so that some of the suspects behind the attack can be prosecuted there. The accused for the NIA and JIT are more or less the same. The JIT has shared the copy of the FIR registered there, top NIA sources said. “Our evidence is admissible in Pakistan. We want JIT to take action against the accused in Pakistan,” a senior official said.
The JIT is headed by Additional Inspector General of Police, Counter Terrorism Department, Muhammad Tahir Rai and also includes ISI’s lt Col Tanvir Ahmed.
The JIT had asked NIA to hand over swabs of four terrorists identified as Nasir Hussain (Punjab province), Abu Bakar, (Gujranwala), Umar Farooq and Abdul Qayum (both from Sindh). However, the Indian anti-terror probe agency handed over to the visiting team the DNA report of the terrorists and asked them to match those with their family members.
The JIT probe is likely to be over by Friday afternoon. The stage has yet not come for NIA to visit Pakistan even as the final call will be taken by the Indian Government, NIA sources said.
The NIA is all set to merge all the three FIRs registered in connection with the airbase attack case probe into one. The NIA is now treating Salwinder as a witness, sources said.
The JIT examined a total of 13 witnesses in the case. Besides recording the statement of Salwinder Singh, his friend and cook, the JIT also examined the caretaker of a shrine visited by Singh before he was abducted. It also questioned four policemen and members of the public who spotted the hijacked vehicle. The JIT also recorded statements of two doctors who conducted the post-mortem of the killed terrorists.
The JIT examined Salwinder, Verma and Gopal in a detailed manner. Salwinder was examined in the presence of two officials each from the NIA and JIT. The three were allegedly kidnapped by the Jaish-e-Mohammad terrorists who subsequently attacked the Pathankot airbase a on the intervening night of December 31 and January 1.
The terrorists had allegedly dumped Verma after slitting his throat and continued their journey with Singh and Gopal before dumping them a few kilometres away from the strategic airbase at Pathankot. The terrorists entered into the airbase and mounted the brazen assault on the intervening night of January 1 and 2. In the fierce encounter that ensued, seven security personnel besides six terrorists were killed.
“Talks are at a conclusive stage and hopefully by tomorrow afternoon everything will be over,” Director General of NIA Sharad Kumar said.
The NIA has already handed over a list of 300 questions besides seeking voice samples of JeM chief Maulana Masood Azhar, his brother Abdul Rauf and Khayyam Baber (mother of slain terrorist Nasir). Nasir had spoken to his mother during the attack from the mobile phone snatched from Salwinder.
The NIA has also sought access to Azhar and Rauf and told the visiting team that till the time India’s request was pending with Pakistan Government, it would like the JIT to question them on their role in the attack and hand over their statement to the Indian agency.