NIA team wants to visit Pakistan

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) wants to send its officers to Pakistan to collect evidence in the Pathankot airbase terror case.

The move has been welcomed by the visiting Joint Investigation Team (JIT) from the neighbouring country.

In another positive development, the JIT has also informed NIA that they were “collecting admissible evidence outside Pakistan” under the provision of Section 188 of the CrPC of Pakistan, that will “legally enable them to be used in prosecution”.

The JIT has also assured their “full cooperation” and promised to execute the Letter Rogatory, which has been sent by the NIA seeking help from Pakistan on information about Jaish-e-Mohammed’s (JeM) involvement in the airbase attack.

As the six-day visit of JIT concluded on Friday, NIA Director-General Sharad Kumar said the NIA team has told the JIT that an Indian team would like to visit Pakistan to “carry forward the investigation in the Pathankot attack”.

Welcoming the NIA’s suggestion, official sources said, the JIT has told the NIA team that they could work out mutually convenient dates for the Indian team’s visit.

Counting the visit as “positive”, Minister of State for Home Kiren Rijiju said the Pakistani side “has not contradicted” India’s findings in the Pathankot airbase attack probe. “It all went well and satisfactorily. Our agencies have done whatever was necessary,” he told reporters.

The JIT’s positive response comes at a time when parties like the Congress and the Aam Aadmi Party objected to the exercise, even citing the presence of an ISI official in the team.

In an official statement, Kumar said the JIT shared the results of their investigations with NIA. After their landing in Delhi on March 27, the JIT had interacted with NIA officials and visited Pathankot airbase where JeM terrorists struck on January 2.

They were “shown locations where the terrorists infiltrated and subsequently hid, as well as where the encounter took place.

They also visited the spot where Ikagar Singh’s vehicle was snatched, where he was murdered, and where the terrorists hijacked the SUV of SP Salwinder Singh. The route taken by the terrorists was also shown to the JIT,” the statement said.

The NIA has also shared with JIT the identity and addresses of four terrorists and requested that the JIT confirm the same.

The NIA presented the JIT with “concrete evidence” against JeM terrorists, who conspired in the attack and the handlers of the terrorists who facilitated and guided them.

On JIT's request, official sources said, the NIA also provided certified copies of post-mortem reports, call records, DNA reports and seizure memo of articles from the scene of crime. The JIT was also given access to 16 witnesses, including the SP, his cook, Rajesh Verma and some formal witnesses as per agreed terms of reference and extant legal provisions.
DH News Service

 Pakistan has not contradicted our findings, says Kiren Rijiju
 JIT promises to execute Letters Rogatory send by NIA
 JIT says it is collecting admissible evidence outside Pakistan that will legally enable them to be used in prosecution
 NIA shares identity and address of 4 terrorists and asks JIT to confirm it.
 JIT records statements of 16 witnesses

COUNTERPOINT
What is the legal status of the Pakistani JIT? With no Letter
Rogatory from a Pakistani court, does this investigation or evidence given have any value?
Sitaram Yechury, CPM general-secretary