New Delhi: The statement by National Investigation Agency (NIA) chief Sharad Kumar virtually exonerating the Pakistan government of complicity in the Pathankot attack has triggered a huge row between India and Pakistan with New Delhi saying that involvement of its nationals "is an accepted fact".
On the other hand, even as the NIA backtracked on its chief Sharad Kumar's statement, Islamabad touted his remarks to claim "vindication" of its long standing position in this regard.
The whole row started over a written interview purportedly given by Kumar to a television channel in which he had said "No. So far, no evidence to show that Pakistan government or Pakistani government agency was helping Jaish-e- Mohammed (JeM) or Masood Azhar or his aides carry out Pathankot attack."
Later the NIA issued a statement saying the observation attributed to DG NIA as regards Pathankot investigations "are strongly refuted." It said his statement has been misquoted.
Kumar also denied media reports that quoted him as saying that a clean chit has been given to Pakistani agencies in the Pathankot attack case.
The External Affairs Minister reacted to the controversy on Friday saying the DG NIA has already issued a clarification and it put out the government's position that "the involvement of Pakistan's nationals in the Pathankot Air Base attack is an accepted fact.
"I would remind you that investigations are ongoing. Foreign Secretary had conveyed to his Pakistani counterpart when they met in New Delhi in April that it was time for review of progress in investigation in the attack after return of Pakistan s JIT, which had gathered all evidence that it had wanted when it visited India," External Affairs spokesperson said in a statement.
He said enough information has also been provided to Pakistani authorities through two Letters Rogatory to conduct investigation in Pakistan so that all those associated in Pakistan with planning, support and execution of the attack are brought to justice.
"At this stage, we await further response and information from Pakistan. It would be injudicious to speculate in this situation," he said.
At the Congress briefing, party's chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala made a scathing attack on the government accusing it of weakening India's fight against terrorism nationally and internationally with the NIA director giving "clean chit" to Pakistan and its agencies.
Director General of NIA, Sharad Kumar, however, said that the role of the JeM chief Maulana Masood Azhar and his brother, besides two other handlers, has been established and all the evidence have been shared with Pakistan.
Asked whether NIA has given a clean chit to Pakistani agencies, including ISI, in the matter, Kumar said, "The case is still under investigations. We have not given any clean chit to anyone. We are examining the role of other players which include state actors who might have been involved in the conspiracy behind the attack.”
He also ruled out involvement of an insider hand in the attack.
Sharad further said that the NIA has completed its India leg of investigation and now they are awaiting a response from Pakistan on Letters Rogatory seeking information and interrogation of Azhar and his brother Abdul Rauf.
"We are still awaiting a response from them," Kumar said, adding two Letters Rogatories and several reminders to Islamabad remain unanswered.
He, however, did not elaborate on the ‘state actors’.
The Pakistan Joint Investigation (JIT) team comprising officials from spy agency ISI had visited the frontier IAF base in March to collect evidence like tissue samples of the attackers to match it with their family members, but it has not given any report on the same to India.
Four terrorists were killed when Pakistani militants carried out a suicide attack on the strategic Indian Air Force base in Pathankot during the intervening night of January 1 and 2. Seven security personnel were also killed during the 80-hour-long gunbattle.
(With PTI inputs)
