No clean chit to Pak official machinery on Pathankot: Kiren Rijiju

Rijiju's comment comes after NIA chief reportedly said that so far there is no hand of Pak govt in helping JeM carry out Pathankot attack

Union Minister Kiren Rijiju today refused to give a clean chit to Pakistani official establishment in connection with terror attack in Pathankot airbase saying investigation was still continuing.

"There is no question of a clean chit or any clarification. Investigation is on," the Union Minister of State for Home told reporters, a day after NIA chief Sharad Kumar reportedly said that so far there is no hand of Pakistan government or its agency in helping JeM carry out the Pathankot attack.

Asked about the NIA chief's comments, Rijiju said so far nothing conclusive has come out whether any group who is part of Pakistan government was involved in the attack or not as probe was continuing.

Even as the NIA backtracked on Kumar's statement, on its part Islamabad, touted his remarks to claim "vindication" of its long standing position in this regard.

The whole row started over a written interview purportedly given by Kumar to a television channel in which he had said "no. So far, no evidence to show that Pakistan government or Pakistani government agency was helping Jaish-e- Mohammed (JeM) or Masood Azhar or his aides carry out Pathankot attack."

Later the NIA issued a statement saying the observation attributed to DG NIA as regards Pathankot investigations "are strongly refuted." It said his statement has been misquoted.

The External Affairs Minister reacted to the controversy saying the DG NIA has already issued a clarification and it put out the government's position that "the involvement of Pakistan's nationals in the Pathankot Air Base attack is an accepted fact.