Pathankot probe: Pakistan SIT set to arrive on March 27

NEW DELHI: India and Pakistan have decided that Islamabad’s special investigation team (SIT) will arrive here on March 27 to carry forward the probe into the Pathankot terror attack, following which the two prime ministers and the foreign secretaries are likely to meet in Washington on the sidelines of the Nuclear Security Summit (NSS).

The decision was taken after a 20-minute meeting between external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj and Sartaj Aziz, Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s advisor on foreign affairs. The two leaders met on the sidelines of Saarc ministerial meeting in Pokhra, Nepal.

They discussed the role of Jaish-e-Mohammad and its chief Maulana Masood Azhar in Pathankot terror attack and the action taken against him, senior government sources told ET from Nepal.

Aziz hoped that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Sharif will meet in the US on March 31-April 1 on the sidelines of the NSS. "Not sure whether there will be a structured dialogue but hopeful that they will meet," Aziz noted.

"It is not possible that Pathankot be not discussed in my meeting with Sartaj Aziz... The date for SIT visit has been decided. It will arrive on (March) 27 night and will begin its work on March 28," Swaraj said addressing the media with Aziz.

The SIT has so far arrested three persons in connection with the Pathankot incident and may also want to question Punjab SP Salwinder Singh.

Aziz expressed satisfaction over the way the Pathankot incident was handled by both the sides. Aziz also handed over an invitation to Swaraj for PM Modi to attend the Saarc Summit, hosted by Pakistan on November 9 and 10. Swaraj said she has accepted the invitation on behalf of the PM and thanked Sharif and Aziz for it.

Earlier this year, a scheduled meeting between the foreign secretaries of Pakistan and India was postponed after the January 2 Pathankot attack, which was allegedly carried out by Pakistan-based terror outfit Jaish-e-Mohammad. In Nepal, foreign secretary S Jaishankar and his Pakistani counterpart Aizaz Ahmed Chaudhry did not have any structured meeting.

They first casually met at a dinner hosted for Saarc foreign secretaries on Tuesday night and, later, even walked together for a few minutes.

They met on Wednesday at breakfast and exchanged a few words before meeting again during the Saarc meet. This is the first time Jaishankar and Chaudhry came face to face since planned talks between the foreign secretaries were put off after the Pathankot attack.