It's in our interest to expedite Pathankot probe: Lt. Gen. Abdul Qayyum

Lt. Gen. Abdul Qayyum, Chairman of Senate Standing Committee on Defence Production of Pakistan, said on Tuesday that it was in Islamabad's interest to expedite the probe over Pathankot terror attack.

"Pakistan has taken all possible initiatives from its side on the Pathankot matter and it is in our own interest to expedite the process," Qayyum told ANI.

He further said that it has yet not been proved that Pakistani citizens were involved in the Pathankot attack, adding that there have been arrests and the investigation is further on in this regard.

Qayyum was speaking on the sidelines of India-Pakistan legislators and public officials' dialogue on "Sharing of Experiences on Governance and Democracy".

Meanwhile, British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond has said that settling the Kashmir issue should not be a pre-condition for holding talks between India and Pakistan.

He also asked the two nations not to allow non-state actors and other pressure groups to derail the peace process adding that Pakistan to speed up the investigation into the January 2 Pathankot attack which India has blamed on Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) militant group.