Is Pakistan serious on Pathankot attack probe? India has doubts

New Delhi: The Centre has doubts about Pakistan's seriousness in probing the Pathankot terror attacks, highly-placed sources said Wednesday.

The sources in the government are questioning the legal sanctity of the Joint Investigation Team (JIT) that will arrive in India on March 27th.

India is also questioning why a JIT was formed by the government of Punjab in Pakistan when the SIT formed by Nawaz Sharif was also investigating the case.

Some in the government felt the attempt possibly is to withhold evidence collected by the SIT formed by Nawaz Sharif. They also doubt whether Pakistan team will carry out any real investigations visit the Pathankot airbase next week.

Without a Letter Rogatory, information collected by Pakistan's investigators will have little legal value and JIT has sent no LR to collect evidence as yet.

Sources said Pakistan's SIT has carried out a detailed probe after receiving inputs from Indian agencies and that they raided several locations in Sialkot, Gujranwala, Jhelum and Dina town. Offices of Jaish e Mohammed were also raided and over 28 people questioned.

India had also provided Pakistan the numbers of suspected terror handlers. The numbers were: +92-3017775253, +92-3213132786, +92-34553030479 ,+92-3024880619, +92-3000957212

Pakistan's SIT has already collected call data records of all numbers provided by India and even questioned family members of the suspected terrorist who made the call from +92-3000957212. One of the calls, the SIT confirmed, was made to the al Rehmat Trust, a known front organisation for JeM.

The report submitted by the SIT to Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif also named ISI handlers. Indian officials believe Islamabad is not revealing full details of this probe.

Also, the question remained: Why did Pakistan register an FIR against unknown people despite detailed investigations done by their own SIT?

All these lead the government into believing that the meeting between Indian and Pakistan investigators will only result in exchange of information.