Sushma’s statement on Pak JIT visit to Pathankot takes Rajnath by surprise

ISLAMABAD: While all eyes are on the Eden Gardens cricket stadium  in Kolkata to see the clash of cricketing giants, it is business as usual amongst the politicians of the two sides as Pakistan’s Joint Investigation Team (JIT) prepares to leave for Pathankot.

The announcement of Indian Minister for External Affairs Sushma Swaraj that the JIT will be arriving in Pathankot on March 27 appears to have taken her cabinet colleague Home Minister Rajnath Singh by surprise, suggesting that the decision was not taken while Sushma was in New Delhi but arrived at after her meeting with Sartaj Aziz, Adviser to the PM on Foreign Affairs.

“I have come to know through the media that the Pakistan team is coming. We are fully prepared,” Singh told the media.He added that modalities for the JIT from Pakistan, probing the terror attack on the Pathankot airbase, will be worked out once they arrived in India.

Asked whether the Pakistan team will be given access to the strategic airbase, he responded, “Let’s wait for Sushmaji (Sushma Swaraj) to be back,” he said.After a meeting with her Pakistani counterpart Sartaj Aziz, External Affairs Minister Swaraj had said in Pokhara (Nepal) on Thursday that the JIT from Pakistan will arrive in India on March 27.

Union Minister of State for Home Kiren Rijiju had earlier said that India will allow a Pakistan team to visit wherever necessary in connection with the probe.Six alleged Pakistani terrorists, suspected to be belonging to Jaish-e-Muhammad, had attacked the airbase on January 2 in which seven security personnel were killed. In the gunbattle, all the terrorists too were killed.

On Thursday, Sushma Swaraj told the media in Pokhara, “Some issues were unresolved between our two countries (India and Pakistan); we have taken a decision on them in a very positive manner.”

She added that it was not possible that Pathankot be not discussed in her meeting withPathankot also and I am happy to say that the dates of the visit of Joint Investigation Team (JIT) have been fixed. They will reach India on the night of March 27 and will begin their work on 28,” Swaraj said.

It is now to be seen whether dates for the Islamabad Foreign Secretary level talks will be announced after Sartaj Aziz returns to Islamabad.