In a significant development, Jaish-e-Mohammad chief Maulana Masood Azhar is reported to have been detained in Pakistan in connection with the terror attack on Pathnkot Air Force Staion.
According to reports in Pakistani media, Azhar has been detained from some unknown location in Pakistan.
However, the Indian government has said it has no information about the arrest.
Vikas Swarup, spokesperson of Ministry of External Affairs in India has said that he has no official confirmation on arrest of Maulana Masood Azhar.
Maulana Masood Azhar's brother has also been taken into preventive custody. The questioning process is underway in connection with Pathankot terror attack.
Masood Azhar's brother Abdul Rehman Rauf has also been arrested, Pakistan's Geo TV reported.
The Pathankot attackers were believed to have infiltrated from Pakistan and there was speculation that they may belong to Jaish-e-Mohammad headed by Maulana Masood Azhar of the Kandahar hijack episode.
Earlier, under pressure from India, Pakistan on Wednesday held 12 Jaish-e-Mohammed operatives, days after the group attacked an Indian Air Force base at Pathankot in Punjab.
The suspects were detained from different cities of southern Punjab, according to Daily Pakistan.
As per the Pakistani media, the authorities have sealed JeM offices in Bahwalnagar, Bahawalpur, Multan and Muzafargarh cities in anti-terror raids.
India told Pakistan to act against the elements responsible for Pathankot attack before foreign secretary level talks could go ahead.
Who is Maulana Masood Azhar
Maulana Masood Azhar was among the three person released by India in exchange of safe relese of passengers of hijacked flight IC 814 in December 1999.
The Indian Airlines flight from Kathmandu to New Delhi was hijacked and taken to Kandhar in Afghanistan where the Taliban mediated between the hijackers and the Indian government during the weeklong hostage drama, culminating into release of Maulana Masood Azhar and two others who were taken to Kandhar in a special plane accompanied by India's then foreign minister, Jaswant Singh.
The two others released alongwith Maulana were Mushtaq Zargar and Omer Sheikh. Sheikh is in jail for murder of Daniel Pearl, The Wall Street Journal journalist.
Masood is then alleged to have masterminded the attack on India's parliament on 13 December 2001, bringing the two nuclear armed nations to the brink of another war.
