Pakistan's police has filed an FIR in the Pathankot airbase attack against 'unknown persons' in a first that officially acknowledges Pak's involvement in the attacks

Pakistan's police has filed an FIR in the Pathankot airbase attack against unknown persons in 'a move that records the first official acknowledgement' of Pakistan's involvement in the attacks, reported NDTV.

The Indain air base in Pathankot was attacked on 2 January 2016; militants launched an attack on the Indian Air force base near Pakistan. The six attackers, who were disguised as soldiers were killed in a siege that lasted four days. The attack also claimed the lived of seven Indian soldiers.

An India Today report said that the anti-terror police is Pakistan registered the FIR after a Special Investigation Team (SIT) recommended lodging a complain against Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) chief Masood Azhar, four attackers and some unknown accomplices.

India has identified Maulana Masood Azhar as the mastermind of the attack. It has also blamed his brother Rauf and five others for carrying out the attack that killed all six terrorists and seven Indian soldiers.

The FIR number 06/2016 was lodged under sections 302, 324 and 109 of the Pakistan Penal Code, and sections 7 and 21-I of the Anti-Terrorism Act.

When filing the complaint on Friday, the Pakistani security forces apparently forgot to include Azhar's name, said an IBN Live report.

According to Pakistani newspaper The News, Punbjab Police's Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) lodged a complaint against the Pathankot attacks in Gujranwala and the case was filed against unknown terrorists on the plea of deputy home secretary Aitzaz-ud-Din.

The SIT "formally recommended to the federal government to lodge an FIR on the basis of the information provided to the National Security Adviser Lt-Gen (retired) Nasser Khan Janjua by his Indian counterpart Ajit Dova," said the report.

Charges of murder, attempt to murder and terror have been lodged against the accused. The report further added that a document revealed that the six member investigative team, formed on 13 January 2016 and headed by convener Rai Tahir, a reputed chief of the Counter Terrorism Department (CTD), Punjab Police, held meetings which confirmed the Indian side of the incident and also carefully evaluated the Indian version of the information.

Janjua has been in constant touch with his Indian counterparts, said the report, but it is still unclear if the Indian side has been informed about a possible registration of an FIR.

The FIR also shows the telephone numbers contacted by the militants during the attack. A police official said that after the registration of the FIR, any accused can be presented before the court for start of a formal trial.

According to intelligence officials, about a dozen suspects were arrested in Pakistan following the attack.

Last month CTD police Gujranwala had presented three JeM militants before an Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) for possessing

jihadi literature. The suspects were arrested by CTD from a seminary run by JeM in Mundeyki, where the headquarters of the 2008 Mumbai attack mastermind Hafiz Saeed's Jamaat-u-Dawah is located.

With inputs from PTI