Pathankot terror attack: Centre gives nod to prosecute Masood Azhar, three others

New Delhi: The Home Ministry on Monday gave sanction to National Investigation Agency (NIA) to proscute Jaish-e-Mohammed chief Masood Azhar and three others in connection with Pathankot IAF base terror attack. 

NIA had recently sought prosecution sanction against the JeM chief, his brother Abdul Rauf and two handlers involved in the attack.

A formal request was 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, said a TOI report. 

Four fidayeen attackers, Nasir Hussain, Abu Bakar, Umar Farooq and Abdul Qayum, residents of Pakistan's Punjab and Sindh, had barged inside the airforce base on January 1 night killing seven security personnel.

Azhar is accused of masterminding the January 2 attack on the Pathankot airbase in which seven security personnel were killed.

Azhar is wanted by India in several terror related incidents, including the Parliament attack case and bomb blast at Srinagar Assembly in year 2001.

India has been trying to get the UN Sanctions Committee to ban the JeM chief and had submitted an exhaustive dossier in which listing out his terror activities since 1993 and categorically mentioned that he was one of the handlers of the Pathankot terrorists.