Pakistan Urged to Target Militants In Wake of Indian Airbase Attack

Expressing grave concern over the Pathankot terror attack, the Shiv Sena on Tuesday alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s “chai” (tea) with his Pakistani counterpart Nawaz Sharif cost the nation seven martyrs. Taking a tough stand against terrorist attacks on the country, Swarup has said that the government’s Pakistan policy is clear and it will not tolerate terror attacks.

Indian media claimed that the future of Pakistan-India talks after the Pathankot airbase attack seems grim as Indian government has started considering postponing the talks.

Indian Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar on Tuesday said six terrorists, who had attacked the Pathankot air base, have been neutralised.

There is “high probability” that at least two terrorists have entered the Indian Air Force base before Punjab Police SP Salwinder Singh, his jeweller friend Rajesh Verma and Singh’s cook was kidnapped along with an SUV on December 31, the sources said.

Sharif also told Modi that the militants wanted to derail the Pakistan-India peace process, according to Pakistani Information Minister Pervaiz Rashid.

Meanwhile, India is expected to send to Pakistan Letter Rogatory (LR) along with DNA samples of slain terrorists who attacked Pathankot air base, their phone call details, numbers of handlers based in that country and other information to help nab the mastermind of the crime.

Operations to secure the area were continuing and were likely to take a long time, he said. The call records provide ample evidence of terrorist being guided from Pakistan by their handlers, ” Sharad Kumar told India TV. “You don’t want trade and transit treaty with Pakistan”, Tewari said.

Officials, however, have refused to say how many security personnel were involved in the engagement. He said the body of one of the terrorists still had a suicide vest, with a grenade sticking out.

He said those efforts could end as soon as Wednesday. The two countries have also jostled for influence in nearby Afghanistan, where militants attacked the Indian consulate in the city of Mazar-e-Sharif on Sunday.

Mr. Sharif assured Mr. Modi that his government was investigating the leads provided by India to Pakistan’s National Security Adviser, Gen. (retd.) Janjua.