India has identified the four handlers of Pakistan-based terror outfit Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM), who were in touch with the six terrorists who > stormed the Pathankot airbase early on January 1.
India has shared the telephone numbers and the identity of the handlers with Pakistan and has asked it to act on these individuals, a senior government official said.
Those identified by the Indian agencies are JeM founder Maulana Masood Azhar, his brother Abdul Rauf Asghar, Ashfaq Ahmed and Kashim Jaan, the official said.
While Azhar oversaw the operations, his brother Asghar and two others were in touch with the terrorists.
India has also given the details of two types of Pakistan-made drugs — Neuro Bedoxine and Dicloran — found on the bodies as evidence.
Panel to study gaps
A senior official said the government also decided to constitute a high-level committee >to study the gaps in security along the Pakistan border, especially on the Punjab frontier. It is through a riverine stretch in the Bamiyal sector of Gurdaspur district that the terrorists involved in the Pathankot attack as well as the July 27 attack on the Dinanagar police station are believed to have sneaked into Indian territory.
IIT experts roped in
Experts of the Indian Institute of Technology-Roorkee have been tasked with finding solutions to detect intrusions from a riverine route.
Read: >In defence of intelligence
A senior government official told The Hindu : “The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) will appoint the committee and it will conduct a detailed study to examine the security along the border with Pakistan. It will have government representatives and experts from other fields.”
Mock drill conducted
The central intelligence agencies have also found evidence that the “conspiracy” to attack the Pathankot airbase was hatched near Lahore, and the terrorists were put through a mock drill by erecting a model of the airbase.
Doval shares details with Pakistan NSA
The details of the four handlers of Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM), who were in touch with the six terrorists who stormed the Pathankot airbase on January 1, have been shared with Pakistan “through proper channel.” India has pressed for stern action against them as a condition for any future talks with Pakistan, sources said.
Read: >Congress seeks details of NSA talks in Bangkok
National Security Adviser Ajit Doval is understood to have spoken to his Pakistani counterpart Gen. (retd.) Nasser Khan Janjua and shared all evidence, including voice data, an official said.
The Border Security Force has conducted five rounds of intense checking but has not found any breach in the fence. The BSF has ordered an internal inquiry and the DIG, Amritsar, will submit a report in 15 days.
The Ministry of Home Affairs is finalising new Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) and Remotely Piloted Aircraft (RPA) to secure the border with Pakistan.
For more news on the Pathankot attack, >click here .
