Pathankot: Salwinder Now a Witness, JIT and NIA Find Common Ground

For lack of evidence, the NIA has now said that SP Salwinder Singh is a witness in the Pathankot attack case.

On Thursday, the Pakistan Joint Investigation Team examined 13 witnesses including Gurdaspur SP Salwinder Singh through NIA officials. SP Singh’s cook and his friend who were also abducted by the terrorists were examined.

Around 3-4 Punjab police officers who were part of the initial probe, the doctor who conducted the post-mortem of the terrorists and the caretaker of the dargah were also examined.

For the first time on Thursday, the investigators clarified that SP Singh, who had initially been grilled by the NIA as a conspirator, is now a witness in the case.

SP Salwinder is a witness in the case because we don’t have any evidence against him. Pakistan JIT also examined him as a witness.

Senior Officials, NIA

Several questions were raised on Singh’s role in the attack as he was freed unharmed by the terrorists, although his friend, Rajeev Verma, was injured. Not just that, there were discrepancies in his statement to the police and the NIA regarding his visit to the dargah on 1 January.

According to sources, the Pakistan JIT questioned these witnesses to verify their account. The JIT will present the statements as evidence before their court. The Pakistan JIT will leave India on Friday.

The NIA has also shared a list of 25 people they would like to examine during their visit to Pakistan. It includes Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) Chief Masood Azhar, his brother Abdul Rauf, JeM handlers and family members of the terrorists.

NIA: Our Evidence in Convergence With Pakistan JIT Findings

Sources in the NIA say that the findings of both the teams did converge in some places. For the first time, the JIT more or less agreed that the slain terrorists were indeed from Pakistan.

We have such strong evidence to prove that the terrorists were from Pakistan that it was impossible for the JIT to deny.

Senior Officials, NIA

In fact, additional evidence – the post-mortem report of the slain terrorists, the DNA report and the ballistics report – that was shared with the JIT proves that the ammunition had Pakistan’s markings on it. Telephone call details also establish that the terrorists spoke with JeM chief Masood Azhar in Pakistan.

The NIA also provided the JIT with strong evidence against the JeM chief which completely rubbish Pakistan’s earlier argument that there isn’t enough evidence against him.