'Pakistan must assist India in Pathankot terror attack probe'

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Islamabad: Pakistan must actively assist India to bring to justice terrorists who oversaw the attack on the IAF base in Pathankot, two Pakistani experts said in remarks published on Tuesday.

Sikander Ahmed Shah, a former legal adviser in the foreign ministry, and Abid Rizvi, an expert on international law, said it was clear that Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) was responsible for the January 7 attack.

"JeM is not an indigenous Kashmiri group; it constitutes mostly extremists from Punjab who are known to have perpetrated acts of terrorism," they said in a column in the Dawn.

Pointing out that the attackers were dressed in Indian Army uniform while using lethal force against the airbase, "such action would also constitute perfidy, a war crime under international law".

They added: "The attack on the airbase will undoubtedly influence future interactions between India and Pakistan, and the two countries must collaborate on curbing regional terrorism."

Terrorists who India says belonged to JeM and came from Pakistan raided the Indian Air Force base in Pathankot, killing seven security personnel. Security forces killed all six terrorists.

India is pressing Pakistan to take action against the JeM leadership and all those who masterminded the attack.

Shah and Rizvi, however, said Pakistan must "distinguish between acts of terror and a genuine struggle for liberation".

"Going forward, Pakistan must ensure that it must not sacrifice the Kashmiri cause at the altar of fostering better relations with (India) while at the same time opposing terrorism in all its forms."