The United States has reportedly handed over a dossier containing conversation among Pathankot IAF base attackers and their handler, Kashif Jaan, to the NIA. The dossier will provide a fresh impetus to the probe being conducted by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) which had in June given a clean chit to Pakistan in the Pathankot attack.The NIA Director General had said the investigation agency could not find any evidence to prove the involvement of Pakistan or any Pakistani agency on the attack.
Times of India reported that the fresh dossier being provided by the US makes is apparent that the attack was “micro-managed” from Pakistan. The four attackers –Nasir Hussain from Punjab, Abu Bakar from Gujranwala and Umar Farooq and Abdul Qayum from Sindh — were constantly in touch with their handlers from Pakistan during the attack which continued for about 80 hours, ToI said. Quoting sources, the daily said that information provided by the US include chats beween Kashif and JeM members based in Pakistan. The handler was in contact with the terrorists through social media platforms like Facebook, WhatsAPP. The dossier was shared under the Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty (MLAT) by the US, ToI said.
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The four terrorists died when they carried out a suicide attack on the IAF base during the intervening night of January 1-2. During the gun battle, eight soldiers were also martyred. As Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh is scheduled to visit Pakistan to next week to attend Saarc home minisers’ meet, the new dossier will help India push its case.
