Baku, January 15 AZERTAC
Pakistan has arrested the head of the Jaish-e-Mohammad militant group on suspicion his outfit masterminded an attack this month on an air base in Pathankot, two officials said on Wednesday.
Maulana Masood Azhar, a hardliner who was blamed for a 2001 attack on India’s parliament, was detained two days ago along with his brother and brother-in-law and will remain in protective custody for at least 30 days.
Pakistan said earlier in the day that it had arrested several members of Azhar’s group and sealed off its offices as it investigates Indian assertions that the January 2 attack, in which seven military personnel were killed, was the work of the Pakistan-based militants.
Islamabad, which India has long accused of backing militant attacks, promised to get to the bottom of who was behind the assault on the air base after India handed evidence to Pakistan that it said implicated Jaish-e-Mohammad.
India also holds Pakistan-based militants responsible for the 2008 Mumbai shooting attacks that left 166 dead.
