NIA seeks MHA's nod to chargesheet JeM chief Masood Azhar, brother for Pathankot attack

NEW DELHI: In the first official move to charge Maulana Masood Azhar for Pathankot IAF base terror attack in January, the National Investigation Agency ( NIA) has sought prosecution sanction against the Jaish-e-Mohammad ( JeM) chief, his brother Abdul Rauf and two handlers involved in the attack, Shahid Latif and Kashif Jaan.

Official sources told TOI that a formal request has been sent to Union Ministry of Home Affairs seeking prosecution sanction under sections 18, 20 and 28 of Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967, Explosives Act and various sections of IPC, including murder, criminal conspiracy, waging war against India so that a chargesheet can be filed against them.

Sources say "substantial evidence" on the basis of independent investigations, technical and forensic examinations and conversations provided by the US has been shared with MHA while seeking the prosecution sanction for filing a chargesheet.

The chargesheet, officials say, will also pave the way for Indian government to present a stronger case international ly for declaring Azhar as 'global terrorist' in the UN's Al Qaeda Sanctions Committee list, which has been repeatedly vetoed by China. "As soon as MHA gives the sanction, a chargesheet would be filed against all four in next few weeks," said a top NIA officer.

As first reported by TOI on October 14, NIA will go ahead with filing a chargesheet against Azhar and others in Pathankot terror attack without any reply from Pakistan despite repeated reminders.

The evidence shared with MHA last week in cludes phone con of the four slain ersations of the four slain errorists, their addresses, amily members' details, financial details of al-Rehmat Trust (financial arm of JeM), housands of chatsmessages f JeM handlers and their oice samples.

The four fidayeen attack rs, Nasir Hussain, Abu Bakar, Umar Farooq and Abdul Qayum, residents of Pakistan's Punjab and Sindh, had barged nside the airforce base on January 1 night killing seven se urity personnel.

As first reported by TOI, US had handed over evidence, omprising over 1,000 pages of hats and conversations be ween handler Kashif Jaan nd the four fidayeens and also with his bosses in Pakistan.