The Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) of the Punjab police registered an FIR against the alleged attackers of the Pathankot airbase in India and their abettors. According to the CTD spokesman, FIR No 06/2016 was registered by the CTD police station in Gujranwala under sections 302, 324 and 109 of the Pakistan Penal Code, and sections 7 and 21-I of Anti-Terrorism Act. He said said the FIR was registered on a complaint filed by Deputy Home Secretary Aitzaz-ud-Din, in the light of a letter from Atizaz-ud-Din, deputy secretary, Ministry of Interior, in which it was mentioned that the Indian NSA reported that these attackers had come from Pakistan. A formal investigation was launched following the registration of the FIR, he said, adding a joint investigation team would probe the attack. In civilized countries, FIR is registered only after investigation, but in Pakistan it is the other way round.
Despite the fact that Pakistani authorities had sealed a Jaish-run seminary in Sialkot, took the group leader masood Azhar into protective custody and the FIR has been registered, India is not satisfied. India yesterday expressed disappointment that neither Jaish-e-Mohammed nor its chief Masood Azhar were named in the Pakistani FIR. “It is a small step in the right direction. But it is disappointing that neither the name of Jaish nor Masood Azhar was incorporated in the FIR,” said a senior Indian government official. In fact, Indian government and media continue with propaganda campaign to convince the world that Pakistan is involved. On the other hand, Indian agencies are involved in supporting and funding the banned outfits in Baluchistan, FATA and elsewhere, but Pakistan instead of exposing them to the public and the world at large, it appears to be satisfied by giving dossiers to UN Secretary General and Obama administration.
Indeed, there are extremists and terrorists organizations and outfits in Pakistan and India, who do not wish to see resolution of disputes through talks, as the belligerent environment is conducive to advance their pernicious plans. Even as the Indian government refuses to admit any lapse on the part of security and intelligence agencies in the terror attack at Pathankot airbase, debate is still raging over the failure of the intelligence and security system. The questions are being raised: Why the first information of the armed infiltration given by a Punjab Police officer, who was abducted by the terrorists, was ignored? What was the Border Security Force doing? Where were surveillance equipment and night vision devices? Air Vice Marshal (r) Kapil Kak said: “You (the government) had specific inputs 24 hours in advance that Punjab is going to be struck, why was security of vital installations not beefed up?
He strongly disagreed with Major General (r) Satbir Singh who said the Pakistan Army and the ISI were involved in the attack. There is a widespread perception that the terror attack was aimed at unsettling the dialogue process between the two nations. As usual, Indian media continued to blame Pakistan for attack on Pathankot Air base without any concrete evidence. However, investigating reports by a section of media and website mansolaris.wordpress.com raised many valid questions showing holes in the story. Of course, India had given ‘leads’ – details of two intercepted telephone numbers, and that one of the terrorists was wearing pair of shoes manufactured in Pakistan. India had neither provided identities of the terrorists nor results of the DNA tests. Pakistan has, therefore, asked India to provide concrete, reliable and actionable intelligence and not mere leads and information. But India insists it has given actionable intelligence to Pakistan.
On the other hand, there is no progress on Samjhauja Express tragedy of 2007 despite the fact it has been proved that Indian military and RAW was involved in the incident. In 2011, Swami Aseemanand a leader of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, had confessed that he was involved in several bombings incidents including India-Pakistan Samjhauta Express train bombing in 2007 in which 68 Pakistani nationals were killed. Similarly, Aseemanand was also responsible for attacks on Muslim community in Malaygaon with explosives, where the explosions left 37 people dead. On 27th August 2014, Swami Aseemanand – accused in three terror cases – had been granted bail by the Punjab and Haryana High Court in the Samjhauta Express blasts case. Pakistan had taken exception to the bail granted to Swami Aseemanand, and regretted that India was not keeping Pakistan informed about the progress of the case.