India fails to link Pak groups to Pulwama attack

ISLAMABAD: India in its dossier submitted to Pakistan last week has failed in provide any fresh and tangible intelligence to implicate any outfit present in Pakistan in the Pulwama suicide attack that resulted in killing of 44 personnel of Indian CRPF.

Well placed diplomatic sources told The News/Jang on Saturday that Foreign Secretary Ms. Tehmina Janjua was entrusted to scrutinise the dossier. They studied the dossier and couldn’t find any concrete substance in the voluminous pack of documents.

It is understood that the dossiers comprises Indian intelligence own reports submitted to their government to satisfy their bosses. Incidentally similar documents in the dossiers were submitted to Pakistan a number of times before as well.

"The dossiers however fails to offer any specific, actionable intelligence", sources said. Despite the shallowness of the dossier, the government is here determined to probe all aspects, the sources added. The dossier is appeared to have been prepared by incompetent and lower grade officials who complied reports based on hearsay.

The Indian government handed over to Pakistan it with the claim that it is detailing Jaish-e-Mohammed's (JeM) role in the Pulwama attack. Indians further claimed that the dossier also details the presence of JeM camps and that of its top leadership within Pakistan.

The move came after Pakistan had demanded "actionable evidence" from India on the Pulwama suicide attack that was carried out by a young Kashmiri from the held Kashmir (IHK). India handed over the dossier to the acting high commissioner of Pakistan Syed Haider Shah on Wednesday. Prime Minister Imran Khan had asked his Indian counterpart on more than two occasions to provide the actionable evidence and "give peace a chance". Imran Khan said he "stands by his words" and Pakistan will "immediately act" if India provides "actionable intelligence" on the Pulwama attack. India had said that it expected Islamabad to take immediate and verifiable action. Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi had also assured India that Pakistan would evaluate the Indian dossier with an open heart.

The Foreign Office in a statement reminded that the dossier would be reviewed for “any and all legal evidence”. Islamabad will take action against “credible evidence” provided by India, it said. The Foreign Office said Prime Minister Imran Khan has already made it clear that Pakistan will help in the Pulwama attack investigation. “Pakistan is ready for talks on all subjects including terrorism,” the statement added.

Incidentally, quoting unnamed government officials, leading Indian publications have claimed in the last couple of days that the dossier contained evidence showing that the Pulwama attack was hatched by the Jaish-e-Mohammed on Pakistani soil. In its report on the subject, India Today wrote that as per their sources’ claim the dossier contained audio and video recordings of JeM chief Maulana Masood Azhar praising the Pulwama attack.

The alleged suicide bomber Adil Dar's video wherein he talked about the Pulwama attack formed part of the dossier as well. According to India Today, for India, Dar’s video, his claim to be working as a JeM recruit and him talking about the attack are clear evidence of the direct involvement of the terrorist organisation.

The magazine’s sources claimed the dossier contained phone conversations and transcripts of Kamran, an alleged JeM terrorist killed in Pulwama days after the CRPF attack. India has told Pakistan that there is clear evidence of Kamran (Ghazi Rasheed) being in touch with his handlers from the JeM in Pakistan before the Pulwama attack, said the report. As if talking to the same government officials as sources, the Indian Express, wrote that the dossier contained “specific details of JeM complicity in Pulwama terror attack and the presence of JeM terror camps and its leadership in Pakistan” along with the details of Jaish-e-Muhammad chief Maulana Masood Azhar’s anti-India speeches and claims of attacks by Jaish on Indian security forces in the past two years.

Besides Pulwama, India also presented nine specific instances of JeM rallies and religious congregations in Pakistan aimed at indoctrinating and recruiting men by instigating them against India, wrote the newspaper. The report said: “In the latest dossier, New Delhi reiterated that JeM carried out these activities even though it was placed under ban by the Pakistani authorities in 2002.” The paper quoted a “top government official” in saying that “the information about these activities of JeM are available in open source platforms like blogs, websites, Facebook and Twitter. Many of the posts openly declare association of JeM with terror attacks in India.” The newspaper said the dossier contained details of JeM’s recent public gatherings and interactive sessions attended by hundreds of people wherein “around 30 people expressed their desire to take part in JeM training course and showered praise on organizational activities of JeM and the role played by its chief Masood Azhar.

In a separate development, Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi has told the BBC about Pakistan’s “willingness to engage” with India if it wanted to talk. Qureshi told the British broadcaster: “We are studying the dossier. If India wishes to initiate a dialogue based on this dossier, we are willing to engage with them.” The foreign minister also said Pakistan is “ready for talks” and welcomed the United Nations’ offer for helping in de-escalation between the two countries.

“Pakistan wants de-escalation. Pakistan wants peace in the region, wants stability. We are ready for talks. It is for India to decide,” he said during the interview. Talking about taking an action against Azhar, Qureshi told the BBC, “that Pakistan will take action if presented with evidence that can stand in a court of law.” Talking to CNN Christiane Amanpour earlier, Qureshi said that Azhar was in Pakistan and that he is “unwell to an extent that he cannot leave his house.”