Pakistan has detained Maulana Masood Azhar, the chief of the terrorist outfit Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM)

Pakistan has detained Maulana Masood Azhar, the chief of the terrorist outfit Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM), reports its top news channel Geo News.

Many JeM operatives were part of the United Jihad Council which claimed responsibility for the attack on the Pathankot Air Force Base on 1 January.

Officials have also reportedly detained Azhar's brother Rauf.

Azhar’s detainment comes on the heels of the arrest of 12 JeM members earlier on Wednesday after Pakistani security forces conducted raids in multiple locations across the country.

The arrests were made after receiving information from India and the government is planning to send a special investigation team to Pathankot in order to probe the tragedy and gather more information they require to carry forward cooperation, reports CNN-IBN.

Sources told NDTV that Pakistan conducted raids in Gujranwala and Jhelum regions, and questioned the family of one of the Jaish leaders.

However, there is no official confirmation yet on Azhar's detention, MEA sources told CNN-IBN.

During the intervening night of 1 and 2 January, terrorists, who had sneaked into the country from Pakistan via the Indo-Pak border, attacked Indian Air Force base in Pathankot. They were killed during a counter-operation by Indian forces that lasted for about three days in which seven security personnel were killed.

Azhar is also one of the three terrorists whom India released after terrorists hijacked Indian Airlines Flight 814 from Kathmandu to Delhi on 24 December 1999.

With inputs from agencies