Pakistan forms JIT on Pathankot incident

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has formally formed a Joint Investigation Team (JIT) to facilitate the investigation of Pathankot terrorist incident. 

The JIT will comprise five members and it will probe alleged involvement of Pakistani terrorist group in the incident, it is reveled by the sources while mentioning the formal notification issued here on Thursday.

The sources claimed that newly formed JIT members would soon visit Pathankot Airbase and would coordinate with their Indian counterparts on the issue.

The JIT is headed by a senior police officer Rai Tahir, the Chief of Punjab's Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD). Rai Tahir was also convener of the Special Investigation Team (SIT) formed by the Interior Ministry in its notification issued on February 13, which initially probed the Pathankot incident and recommended registration of FIR in CTD, Punjab.

The sources claimed that Rai Tahir enjoyed himself good reputation in investigating the complex terror cases as he and his team had recently arrested a number of Daesh activists in Punjab. Rai Tahir being head of SIT on Pathankot incident would now not only head the JIT but would also oversee the investigation and prosecution of the case on which both the countries are eyeing.

Punjab Home Secretary Major (R) Azam Suleman has formally issued the notification a copy of which is also available with this correspondent. According to the notification Rai Tahir is the convener of the JIT. Another Police Group Officer of Intelligence Bureau M Azim Arshad is also part of the JIT who along with Rai Tahir has also served the SIT in Pathankot case.

In the newly formed JIT, ISI has replaced Brigadier Noman with Lt Col Tanvir Ahmed. Earlier, Noman represented the premier intelligence outfit in the Pathankot SIT. Lt Col Irfan Mirza of Military Intelligence (MI) will continue the Pathankot investigation in the JIT as he too was member of the SIT.

Inspector Shahid Tanvir of CTD, the local officer of Gujranwala who registered the Pathankot FIR on February 18 is also part of the JIT. The JIT is all set to start its probe from the telephone numbers provided by India.