Pakistan JIT claims Indian authorities had prior information about Pathankot ​attackers​: Report

Pakistan's Joint Investigation Team​ (JIT) visited the Indian Air Force base in Punjab's Pathankot on March 29 to probe the January terror attack.

New Delhi: Pakistan's Joint Investigation Team (JIT) believes that the terror attack on the Indian Air Force base in Punjab's Pathankot on January 02 was orchestrated by the Indian authorities, Pakistan media reported on Monday.

The JIT members visited Pathankot on March 29 where Indian National Investigation Agency (NIA) officials briefed and showed them the route from where the terrorists stormed the airbase.

The fresh report from Pakistan came after reports suggested last week that the JIT was not convinced about the evidence provided by NIA in the Pathankot attack.

'Pakistan Today' quoted a member of JIT as saying that India used the attack as a tool to expand its “vicious propaganda” against Pakistan “without having any solid evidence to back the claim”.

The `source privy to the details of the report` also said that the JIT report has concluded that the Indian authorities had prior information about the attackers.

The report added that the JIT will submit its report on the attack to Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif “in the next few days”.

According to the source, the JIT report says that the Indian government did not cooperate with the Pakistan probe team and instead attempted to obstruct the investigation.

“The report also raises serious questions over the veracity of Indian claims regarding the Pathankot attack. The JIT has concluded that contrary to the claims of the Indian government about the duration of the encounter, the standoff between the Indian Army and alleged terrorists ended within hours of the attack,” the source quoted the report, adding that this finding has made it clear that the attack was a drama staged to malign Pakistan and persuade the world community that Pakistan is involved in terrorism, reports `Pakistan Today`.

The report also quoted an anonymous JIT official as saying that the murder of NIA officer Tanzil Ahmed “is evidence that the Indian establishment wants to keep the matter under wraps".

The source also claimed that Indian authorities did not share any proof with the JIT about Indian claims that terrorists had entered from the Pakistani side of the border.

“The report concludes that the Pathankot attack looked like another false flag operation fully facilitated by the Indian army just to put the blame on Pakistan,” the source added.

India blames Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) chief Masood Azhar for plotting the carnage.

JeM is a terror group based in Pakistan.