The United States has handed over evidence proving Jaish-e-Mohammed's involvement in the attack on the Indian Air Force base in Pathankot early this year to the National Investigation Agency. The documents include 1,000 pages of chats and conversations between JeM handler Kashif Jaan and the four terrorists who were gunned down at Pathankot, The Times of India reported.
The conversations reveal that Nasir Hussain from Pakistan's Punjab province, Abu Bakar from Gujranwala and Umar Farooq and Abdul Qayum from Sindh were in constant touch with the handlers in the country during the carnage. The militants had also reportedly called phone numbers associated with Al-Rahmat Trust, JeM's financial arm. Jaan communicated with other Pakistan-based JeM members, as well, according to the evidence from US.
Besides communicating via WhatsApp and phone, Jaan also uses a Facebook account linked with the same mobile number that the attackers used to make a call from Pathankot after abducting Punjab Superintendent of Police Salwinder Singh, The Times of India report added. This and another Facebook account were accessed using IP addresses of Islamabad-based telecom firms. These Facebook pages also contained jihadi material, videos and comments condemning the arrest of Jaish cadres in Pakistan.
The US shared details of these conversations in accordance with the Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty, after the NIA requested for their assistance. These documents are likely to strengthen India's investigation into the attack ahead of Home Affairs Minister Rajnath Singh's visit to Islamabad next week for the SAARC meet. India has been blaming Pakistan-based terrorists for the January 4 attack. After this revelation, India can also renew its plea to designate JeM chief Masood Azhar as a terrorist.
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