Active Stocks
Thu Mar 28 2024 15:59:33
  1. Tata Steel share price
  2. 155.90 2.00%
  1. ICICI Bank share price
  2. 1,095.75 1.08%
  1. HDFC Bank share price
  2. 1,448.20 0.52%
  1. ITC share price
  2. 428.55 0.13%
  1. Power Grid Corporation Of India share price
  2. 277.05 2.21%
Business News/ News / World/  Pathankot: Pakistani investigation team to arrive on 27 March
BackBack

Pathankot: Pakistani investigation team to arrive on 27 March

The outcome of the probe will determine whether the two nations resume bilateral engagement

A file photo of external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj. Photo: PTIPremium
A file photo of external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj. Photo: PTI

New Delhi: A team from Pakistan will arrive in India on 27 March to probe the attack on India’s Pathankot airbase in January. The outcome of the probe will determine whether the two nations resume bilateral engagement.

This was one of the main outcomes of the meeting between foreign minister Sushma Swaraj and Pakistan’s national security adviser Sartaj Aziz on the sidelines of the 37th South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (Saarc) Council of Ministers in Pokhara, Nepal.

The interaction, the first between the two since the 2 January raid on the Pathankot base, during which six militants and seven Indian security personnel were killed, was mainly to invite Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the Saarc summit Islamabad is to host on 9-10 November.

The last meeting between Swaraj and Aziz took place in December. “It is not possible that Pathankot be not discussed in my meeting with Sartaj Aziz... the date for JIT (Pakistan’s joint investigation team) visit has been decided. It will arrive on 27th (March) night and will begin their work on 28 March," the Press Trust of India cited Swaraj as saying after the talks that lasted about 20 minutes.

India blames the Pathankot attack on the Islamist militant group Jaish-e-Mohammed based in Pakistan and has demanded that quick action by Pakistan against the perpetrators. India has also indicated that further engagement with Pakistan will depend on the outcome of the Pakistani investigation into the Pathankot attack.

According to Pakistan, a speedy visit by its joint investigation team comprising different agencies in Pakistan will allow it to determine who is to blame and take quick action.

This, in turn, will help in closing the case quickly, unlike in the case of the 2008 Mumbai attacks, where Pakistan has blamed a long-drawn out investigation many years after the attack for its inability to conclude who were to blame for the carnage that claimed 166 lives.

Aziz, on his part, said that the talks between the two covered “various issues where we had differences".

India and Pakistan, which have fought four wars since 1947, have a host of disputes between them. The main one is over Kashmir, which both countries claim in full but administer in parts. The region has been the trigger for three of the wars.

Aziz expressed satisfaction over the way the Pathankot incident was handled on both sides. In the aftermath of the attack, Pakistan detained many operatives of the Jaish-e-Mohammed and registered a case against unknown people. On 5 January, Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif telephoned Modi and promised action against those responsible for the attack.

Aziz also said he hoped Modi and Sharif would meet on the margins of the Nuclear Security Summit in Washington on 31 March. It was such a meeting on the sidelines of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change in Paris on 30 November between the two prime ministers that resulted in a thaw in ties.

Swaraj travelled to Pakistan in December and announced a resumption of bilateral engagements almost three years after official-level talks ran out of steam.

Modi paid a surprise visit to Pakistan on 25 December—the first by an Indian head of government in 10 years. The trip was noted for its underlying message—that India wanted to stay invested in the peace process. But the Pathankot attack cast a shadow over the process.

Unlock a world of Benefits! From insightful newsletters to real-time stock tracking, breaking news and a personalized newsfeed – it's all here, just a click away! Login Now!

Catch all the Business News, Market News, Breaking News Events and Latest News Updates on Live Mint. Download The Mint News App to get Daily Market Updates.
More Less
Published: 17 Mar 2016, 08:02 PM IST
Next Story footLogo
Recommended For You
Switch to the Mint app for fast and personalized news - Get App