Indian troops battle militants at key air force base

Randeep Singh Surjewala, a spokesman for the opposition Congress party, said he wants to remind Indians that Modi “used to say he will show red eyes to Pakistan”.

“You can have a wall, but a wall can be scaled and, probably, a surveillance system such as CCTV was lacking”, said Govind Sisodia, a former senior commander of India’s National Security Guard counter-terrorism unit.

The government’s order to catch the terrorists alive led to the lengthy operations at Pathankot, Punjab, where terrorists had attacked the Air Force base, reports Mail Today.

“In one of the most sinister terror attack since 26/11 ( November 26, 2008, attack in Mumbai), Pakistani terrorists have committed a dastardly attack on India’s security by storming the IAF base in Punjab, which is one of our principal first line of defence”, he said.

Security officials have said the search at the strategic base in Pathankot town near the Pakistani border will continue until they are sure the area is secure.

During the telephonic conversation, Modi “strongly emphasized the need for Pakistan to take firm and immediate action against the organizations and individuals responsible for and linked to the Pathankot terrorist attack”, the PMO said in a statement.

On Monday, a militant group, the United Jihad Council, claimed responsibility for the attack in a statement to a news agency in Kashmir, the site of territorial disputes between India and Pakistan.

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) is believed to be making a statement on the official position once the combing and sanitising operations at the Pathankot air base is completely over.

The responses to the attacks from both countries have been muted so far, with neither New Delhi nor Islamabad giving any indication that the planned talks are under any threat.

“A total of six terrorists have been killed, but every inch of the air base has to be secured before we call off the operation”, said the official in New Delhi, who requested anonymity.

“Pathankot air base attack has been carried out by the mujahideen associated with National Highway Squad”, said Syed Sadaqat Hussain, a spokesman for UJC.

“One of the gunmen snatched my phone and made calls to Pakistan”, Singh said.

“Besides saving many lives in the process, Modi Ji should have sent a strong message of reassurance qua security to all countrymen and a stern warning to those in Pakistan that is exporting terror modules into India”, he added.

In a separate editorial piece, Dawn also speaks about the quick response of Pakistani government who condemned the attack within hours its started on Saturday morning.

Confusion, however, prevailed over how many gunmen were hiding in the air base, which is spread over some 1,200 hectares, as sporadic gunfire and grenade explosions continued. Pakistan denies that and says it only provides moral and diplomatic support.

The Foreign Office maintained a pointed silence with its minister Sushma Swaraj turning to former foreign secretaries and high commissioners to Pakistan at a special meeting for ideas on what to do.

The thinking in the government seems to be that India needed to put forth concrete evidence of Pakistan’s complicity in the Pathankot attack or the charges would be brushed aside by Islamabad.