Pakistan 'arrests' Pathankot 'mastermind' Masood Azhar. Twitter sceptical

In a move that has upped the hopes for foreign secretary level talks between New Delhi and Islamabad, Pakistan has detained Maulana Masood Azhar, chief of Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM), according to Geo News.

Media reports in Pakistan say that Masood Azhar, along with his brother Abdul Rauf and a few others, have been taken into "protective custody" by authorities over their suspected role in the recent Pathankot airbase terror attack, one of the fiercest and baffling assaults on the Indian state since 26/11.

It is not exactly clear if Azhar has been arrested or simply detained for questioning, with conflicting reports pouring in from all quarters of Pakistani media.

The detention of Azhar has come barely two days before the high-level talks between dignitaries from India and Pakistan, with uncertainties still hanging over the issue. Islamabad has also claimed that it has "sealed" the offices of the banned group JeM operating across the country. Once again, exactly how a supposedly outlawed group can continue to network in Pakistan is being questioned in both mainstream and social media.

Azhar's detention comes after Pakistan PM Nawaz Sharif promised cooperation and swift action in the Pathankot attack investigations, with non-denial of Pakistan's hand (at least its non-state actors' involvement) being appreciated for its novelty.

In the wake of Pathankot attack, an audio file was released by JeM that lampooned India for its inability to prevent the incident and also said the site of attack would look like "heaven".