Pakistan nabs suspects of Indian airbase attack

Xinhua News Agency

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Pakistani authorities have arrested some members of a group that is suspected to be behind the recent attack on an Indian airbase, officials said Wednesday.

Indian officials had reportedly said that the Pakistan-based "Jaish-e-Mohammad" militant group was involved in the Pathankot airbase earlier this month.

"Based on the initial investigations in Pakistan, and the information provided, several individuals belonging to Jaish-e-Mohammad, have been apprehended," the prime minister's office said.

"The offices of the organization are also being traced and sealed. Further investigations are underway," a statement from the prime minister office said.

The statement said that Pakistani government is considering to send a special investigation team to Pathankot, in consultation with Indian government of India to carry the process forward.

The decision was made at a high-level meeting chaired by the prime minister, which reviewed the prevailing security situation.

The meeting was attended by Ministers of Interior and Finance, Chief Minister of Punjab, Advisor on Foreign Affairs, the army and the intelligence chiefs, Corps Commander Lahore, Director General Intelligence Bureau and other senior civil, military and police officials.

The meeting noted with satisfaction that as part of Pakistan's commitment to eliminate terrorism from its soil and the expressed national resolve not to allow the country's territory to be used for acts of terrorism anywhere, considerable progress has been made in the investigations being carried out against terrorist elements reportedly linked to the Pathankot incident.

The meeting reiterated that in line with its decision to counter and completely eliminate terrorism, Pakistan would remain engaged with India on this issue.