Pathankot attack: Sartaj Aziz accepts Masood Azhar under 'protective custody in Pak'; praises Hafiz Saeed

New Delhi: The Pak PM Nawaz Sharif's advisor on foreign affairs Sartaj Aziz revealed on Monday that Jaish-e-Mohammad chief Masood Azhar who is also the mastermind of the Pathankot airbase terror attack has been under detention since January 14.

The big revelation by Aziz comes a day after India allowed Pakistani investigators to inspect the site of January 2 attack on the key Air Force base in Pathankot.

In a exclusive interview to India Today, Aziz said, “One of the mobile numbers provided by India was active and has been located to JeM's headquarters in Bahawalpur.'

"Whenever a crime happens across the border, it is much more difficult to pursue the legal requirements because we don't have the locations or evidence. The special investigation team had to investigate the mobile numbers or whatever links were available and find out who could be behind the attack," he added, as per the interview.

India had earlier given some phone numbers, which were included in the FIR, lodged by Pakistan, and probe was going on based on the information.

The FIR lodged by Pakistan into the Pathankot attack has paved the way for the prosecution of anyone who was found guilty of involvement in the attack.

The FIR by the Counter-Terrorism Department of Punjab police, however, did not name Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) chief Masood Azhar, whom India has accused of having masterminded the deadly assault.

Further rubbishing the American-Pakistani Lashkar agent David Coleman Headley's deposition before a Mumbai court, Aziz termed him as a drug peddler whose statements cannot be taken seriosuly.

"Pakisatn is not worried by Headley's deposition. He has no credibility. He is a double agent and a drug peddler," Aziz said.

Notably, while praising the 'humanitarian' work being carried out by Saeed's Jamaat-ud-Dawaa, the front face of Lashkar-e-Toiba, Aziz said that Pakistan does not have enough proof against the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks mastermind Hafiz Saeed and LeT commander Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi.