Following the chargesheet filed by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) today against Jaish-e-Mohammad chief Mashood Azhar and three other JeM commanders in the Pathankot terror attack today, defence experts have opined that this development will further strengthen India's message of Pakistan backing terrorism on the international platform.
"Only holding a person responsible behind something is not enough, especially in such cases. So, it was essential to complete the investigation. Proper chargesheet had to be filed against those who are under the scanner. Thereafter, legal proceedings will start. In such a case, putting forward the message of Pakistan exporting terror in India or endorsing terror, on global platform needs substantial evidence. This chargesheet will cement our message," defence expert Sushant Sareen told ANI.
Justifying the government's move of allowing the Pakistan team to conduct an investigation on the air base in Pathankot, Sareen said it was for "zipping the neighbour's mouth" claiming of not letting them enquire, as it said after the Mumbai attacks.
"The Indian government was sure that the Pakistan team that came to India for investigation would not work on it seriously. The government only allowed its team to visit, because it did not want it to give another chance, as in the case of 2008 Mumbai attacks, that the government did not let them investigate.India only tested their sincerity, in which they failed," he said.
D.S. Grewal, another defence expert was of the opinion that the chargesheet would not rein Pakistan but would help in isolating it diplomatically and getting it the tag of terror state.
"The National Investigation Agency has filed a chargesheet which was long pending. They had got a team from Pakistan for investigation, but Pakistan took no action later. Pakistan will not do anything about the issue, because if it had such an intention it would have handed over Masood Azhar and other terrorists to us long back," Grewal told ANI.
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"We have had Mumbai, Pathankot, Uri attacks. Also, the number of infiltrations is increasing and this will not stop with chargesheeting. We may take up this case at UN level and other international courts. It is one of the processes to isolate Pakistan, but we must adopt other steps as well. We should isolate Pakistan diplomatically and get it declared a terror state," he added.
The NIA today termed Masood Azhar as the mastermind of the Pathankot terror attack and filed a chargesheet against him.
During investigation, NIA investigators collected sufficient evidence in terms of statements of the witnesses to establish that the terrorists had been trained, motivated and radicalised by Maulana Masood Azhar and Mufti Abdul Rauf.
The recoveries from the scene of crime, material and documentary evidence, forensic reports and extensive call data analysis, conclusively establish the complicity of the terrorists of JeM, in the attack at the Pathankot Airbase.
The dastardly attack, committed on January 2 by a heavily armed group, led to loss of our seven soldiers.
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