Pathankot attack: India PM Modi urges Pakistan action

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged his Pakistani counterpart Tuesday to take “firm and immediate action” against those behind an attack on an Indian air force base that left seven soldiers dead.

The deadly attack on the Pathankot airbase started before dawn on Saturday and gunbattles between the militants and Indian forces continued into the third day as Indian forces conducted a search operation to clear the sprawling facility late Monday night.

Kirby said the United States is encouraged by the government of Pakistan condemning this attack, and the statement that they have made about not discriminating among groups.

While PM Modi, issued a statement where he said to Sharif that “Pakistan need to take firm and immediate action against the organizations and individuals responsible for and linked to the Pathankot terrorist attack”.

The Foreign Office said in a statement that Pakistan remains committed and is in touch with the Indian government.

Pakistani officials confirmed Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif had spoken to Modi, expressing his sadness over the attack and saying Pakistan would investigate any information that India provides.

Radio Pakistan reported that Sharif telephoned Modi “and conveyed sorrow and grief on the losses in (the) Pathankot terror attack”.

“We strongly encourage the governments of both India and Pakistan to remain steadfast in their commitment to a more secure and prosperous future for both our countries and for their region”, Kirby said.

Indian Air Force’s Pathankot airbase is a mere 50 km from the Pakistan. By allowing Janjua to meet Doval secretly in Bangkok, he also seemed to suggest that he was actually facilitating engagement with India.

The head of India’s National Investigation Agency, Sharad Kumar, told reporters in New Delhi that the attackers came from Pakistan but did not elaborate.

The two leaders had a seemingly impromptu meeting on November 30 on the sidelines of the Paris climate summit.

“In August, the National Security Advisor (NSA)-level talks were cancelled”.

He was based in Pathankot and was supposedly being paid for for the information that he passed on to the Pakistani woman, Meena Raina. Modi believes that these people may send more terrorists to India in the coming days in order to derail bilateral talks.