Wrong to allow Pak team to probe Pathankot attack: Shiv Sena

Mumbai: Terming the decision to allow a Pakistani team to investigate the terror attack at Pathankot air base as "wrong", Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut today said an Indian team needs to be sent to the neighbouring country to probe those behind the terror strikes.

Raut also reminded the Centre that Pakistan, not India, is an accused in the Pathankot terror strike. "On top of that, we have provided high security to the Pakistani team. Who are they scared of? The entire matter is laughable," the Sena MP told PTI.

He sought to know if the Centre would manage to get permission from Pakistan to get an Indian team to investigate in the neighbouring country.

"Our team needs to be sent there to investigate the role of Hafiz Saeed and Azhar Masood in terror strikes in our country. But will we get permission? We need to remember we are not culprits but Pakistan is," he said.

Raut said India has taken a "wrong decision" by letting the Joint Investigating Team (JIT) come to Pathankot. "Pakistan is responsible for the 26/11 terror attacks and behind the Pathankot terror strike at the IAF base. Keeping this in mind, an Indian investigation team should have actually gone to Pakistan to investigate the elements behind the attack," he said.

"Hafiz Saeed has publicly acknowledged that he was behind the attacks. But, our country has laid down a red carpet for them. India has been on the back foot as far as Pakistan is concerned," he rued.

A five-member Pakistani Joint Investigation Team (JIT) accompanied by Indian officials today visited the "sanitised" areas at Pathankot airforce base in connection with probe into the January 2 terror attack targeting the strategic installation.

The team, which came in a bus, was taken to the backside of the air base as workers of Congress and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and Congress held protests outside against its visit.