Update: 3.04 p.m. IST -- Pakistan's Joint Investigation Team (JIT), which arrived at New Delhi Sunday, has not been given permission to visit the Pathankot air force base, said Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar Monday.
"We have specially denied them permission to go anywhere in the air base. They (JIT) are only allowed access to the place where crime took place. The area is cordoned off," Parrikar was quoted as saying by ANI.
Original Story -- India will be sharing DNA samples of four terrorists, who attacked the Pathankot Air Force base, with Pakistan's Joint Investigation Team (JIT), which arrived at New Delhi's Palam airport Sunday. The five-member team, including an Inter Services Intelligence (ISI) official, will be visiting the Air Force base in Pathankot Tuesday to interrogate witnesses.
The team held meetings with the National Investigation Agency (NIA) Monday where a presentation about the investigation so far was made before them. NIA officials told the Indian Express Sunday that the team would be asked to take the bodies of the four terrorists to Pakistan for burial. The team, led by Punjab counter-terrorism department's Additional Inspector-General Muhammad Tahir Rai, is expected to track the families of the terrorists to match the DNA samples, the Hindu reported.
"We will be handing over the DNA code to the Pakistan team and expect them to match it with the families in Pakistan. For this, they will have to locate their families first," a senior government official told the Hindu.
About the evidence on terrorist group Jaish-e-Mohammed's (JeM) involvement, the official told the Hindu: "The proof can withstand any international judicial scrutiny. Since Pakistan has not sent any letter rogatory [a judicial request to gather evidence] so far, India has said that the onus of making the evidence count in a court of law in their country is on them. It is an operational visit, so protocols can wait."
India will also ask the Pakistani team about the progress of the Letter Rogatory India had sent seeking details of phone numbers and products made in Pakistan found with the terrorists. They will also be apprised about the similarities between two attacks in Samba and Kathua in March 2015 with the Pathankot attack.
The team, which also includes Deputy Director-General (Lahore) of Pakistan's Intelligence Bureau Mohammed Azim Arshad, military intelligence officer Lieutenant-Colonel Irfan Mirza and ISI official Lieutenant-Colonel Tanvir Ahmad, will be taken to the site from where the JeM terrorists infiltrated, the Economic Times reported. The team, which has a seven-day visa, will have minimal access to the critical areas at the Air Force base, the newspaper said.
"Our main aim is to take the JIT to the point from where the Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) terrorists are believed to have infiltrated into India and to reiterate the fact that they appeared to have backing of authorities in their country," a senior official told ET.
This is the first time Pakistani security officials are visiting India regarding an investigation.
