Indo-Pak Foreign Secretary-level talks: Decision likely to be taken on Thursday

Delhi: India on Wednesday deferred decision till tomorrow on whether to go ahead with Foreign Secretary-level talks with Pakistan on Friday.

Ministry of External Affairs Ministry officials said after a two-hour meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj that it was decided to await the return of National Security Advisor Ajit Doval from Paris tomorrow afternoon for a call to be taken, as per PTI.

Meanwhile, Pakistan today arrested Jaish-e- Mohammad chief Maulana Masood Azhar, his brother and "several individuals" belonging to his dreaded outfit, which is suspected to have engineered the Pathankot terror attack, and sealed its offices.

Azhar's brother Abdul Rehman Rauf has also been arrested, Geo TV said.

While the arrest of several individuals was announced in a press release from the Prime Minister's Office, there was no official word on Azhar's detention.

Officials said Azhar, the dreaded terrorist and two other terrorists who were released from an Indian prison in 1999 in exchange for release of 155 passengers of the hijacked Indian Airlines plane, has been taken into protective custody after raids on several JeM offices.

On the other hand, India tonight said it had received no confirmation of the detention of JeM chief Maulana Masood Azhar despite widespread reports of his having been apprehended in connection with the Pathankot attack of which he is suspected to be the mastermind.

"We have no official confirmation of the arrest of Masood Azhar," External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Vikas Swarup told reporters.

(With Agency inputs)