Masood Azhar, the Jaish-e-Mohammed chief who the National Investigation Agency says planned the Pathankot attacks, has fled Pakistan, NDTV reported. Azhar is believed to be hiding in Afghanistan now. The report comes days after a Pakistani special investigation team cleared his name in the attacks. However, Indian investigative officials maintain that evidence from the attacks point to Azhar and the JeM.

In January, talks between Indian and Pakistan were postponed as Pakistan did not confirm whether Azhar had been arrested or not. The country’s Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif had promised Pakistan’s cooperation in unearthing terrorist activities on their soil, and even said the Pathankot attacks had derailed peace talks between Indian and Pakistan.

NDTV said that while other JeM members have been arrested, Azhar is not among them. Officials said Azhar was not arrested immediately after the attacks because he was not found at his base, his hometown of Bahawalpur in south Punjab. The report adds that he may have gone into hiding much earlier. The news will come as a further setback to Indo-Pak peace talks as India had firmly asked Pakistan to take action against those who committed the Pathankot attacks in January.