India says Punjab attackers came from Pakistan, but talks on for now

India’s Home Minister Rajnath Singh told the Lok Sabha today that the gunmen who stormed a police station and killed seven people in India’s Punjab had come from Pakistan, according to a preliminary report. Pakistan regrets the unsubstantiated and unwarranted assertion that those involved in the Gurdaspur incident of July 27, had entered India from Pakistan.

“Any effort by the enemies of our nation to undermine India’s territorial integrity and security, or imperil the safety and security of our citizens will meet an effective and forceful response from our security forces“, said Singh.

Qazi added Pakistan remained committed to supporting and facilitating the Afghan led and owned reconciliation process.

Singh made the statement amid din created by Congress members who strongly disapproved of by Deputy Chairman P J Kurien, who said it was not politics but a statement on a terrorist attack that concerns the security of the country.

“Blame game, and finger-pointing would be unhelpful”, he added.

Singh said the Global Positioning System (GPS) devices, which belonged to the terrorists and were recovered after they were shot dead, established that they crossed into India through the River Ravi.

By calling the meeting a discussion on terrorism rather than peace talks, Modi may have partly insulated himself from the inevitable pressure to cancel after every cross-border raid.

Monday’s attack surprised security forces because it was further south in previously peaceful Punjab where the border fence is less heavily guarded.

Addressing a press conference later in the day, senior Congress leader Anand Sharma said Modi must make public what he discussed with his Pakistani counterpart Nawaz Sharif as India was still suffering terror strikes from across the border.

He said a decision on the NSA talks was part of “a diplomatic strategy” and would be taken by the government and the foreign ministry.

As India blamed Pakistan for the Gurdaspur attack that killed at least seven people this week, the Foreign Office (FO) on Thursday termed accusations “unfortunate” and said countering terrorism could only be possible through cooperation.