Pak team faces AAP, Cong protest: ‘Modi has hurt sentiments of India’

A five-member joint investigation team (JIT) from Pakistan that visited the Pathankot air force base to probe the January 2 terror attack faced strong protest from activists of various political parties.

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and the Congress protesters accused the BJP-led Union government of hurting the sentiments of Indians by allowing a Pakistan team to probe terror attack on Indian soil. Senior AAP leaders, including Sanjay Singh, Delhi minister Kapil Mishra and Punjab convener Sucha Singh Chhotepur, led the party’s protest. The Congress activists were led by party’s district president Anil Vij and Viney Mahajan.

Activists of the Congress protest against the visit of Pakistani investigators near Pathankot airbase on Tuesday. (Sameer Sehgal/HT Photo)

Even the state unit of the Shiv Sena (Bal Thackeray) led by its state chief Yog Raj Sharma held a protest outside the airbase gate but it was confined to the Pakistan probe team.

A large number of AAP activists raised slogans against Prime Minister Narendra Modi for allowing the Pakistan team to visit to the airbase. Mishra said allowing the Pakistani team to visit the airbase was shameful and disgusting. “Instead of allowing the Pakistan team to visit India to probe Pathankot attacks, Indian security agencies should have been sent to Pakistan to investigate the role of masterminds enjoying hospitality of the Pakistan government not only in Pathankot attacks but in Mumbai attacks too,” Mishra added.

Hitting out at Modi, Sanjay Singh said: “He used to claim of having 56-inch chest to deal with any evil design of Pakistan, but now he has virtually mortgaged the dignity and sovereignty of the country to Pakistan for the sake of developing personal relations with his friend Nawaz Sharif.”

“Despite knowing that ISI is behind every terror attack in India, Modi offered red carpet welcome to the Pakistan team. He wants to help his businessmen friends to spread their trade in the neighbouring country at the cost of India’s security,” Singh added.

The police and air force personnel guarding the area near the air force station were seen struggling to control Congress protesters, who managed to cross the barricades and reach near the main fate of the air force station where they burnt an effigy of Pakistan. Later, the police forced the protesters to retreat.

Meanwhile, activists of political parties seemed in a race to make their presence felt in registering protest against Modi and the JIT.

Later, AAP activists took out a march in markets and handed over a memorandum to Pathankot deputy commissioner Amit Kumar.