Air base attack continues near India-Pakistan border

Two, aside from the fact that a group of fully-armed terrorists could walk deep into our territory, that at least twenty hours separated the hijacking of the Gurdaspur police officer’s auto and their penetration of the high-security Pathankot air base underlines the gross failure of the security forces.

“The meeting of the Foreign Secretaries of Pakistan and India will be held in Islamabad in mid January”. “The same pattern was seen during the 26/11 attacks in Mumbai”.

The United Jehad Council (UJC), an umbrella grouping of Kashmiri militant groups based in Pakistan, on Monday claimed responsibility for the attack.

In Pakistan, Sharif’s foreign affairs adviser, Sartaj Aziz, said in a radio interview Saturday, as the attack was unfolding, that Pakistan wants to consolidate its improved relations with India.

NSG and army commandos conducted a thorough mopping of the entire area where the terrorists, suspected to be from Pakistan and trained by the outlawed Jaish-e-Muhammed (JeM) outfit, had been cornered, police said.

Four, even when the intelligence agencies heard the terrorists talk to their handlers on the phone about the attack on the Pathankot air-base a good two hours before they actually managed to gain entry there, even if they did so wearing fake military uniforms, it underlines the total lack of preparedness and, presence of mind of whoever was supposed to be in charge of the anti-terror operation.

He said the terrorists were holed up in a building in the complex. Combing operations to secure the Indian air force base where a group of militants started an attack before da…

The air force base is on the highway that connects India’s insurgency-plagued Jammu and Kashmir state with the rest of the country.

“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 added.

Incidentally, the Pathankot attack came just a week after Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s unscheduled visit to Lahore to show a goodwill gesture for improving bilateral ties.

As the attack continued, authorities in New Delhi also ramped up security.

Pakistan Army chief’s aim was to disrupt the upcoming foreign secretary-level talks between India and Pakistan.

The process of resumption of talks was set in motion after a meeting between the prime ministers of India and Pakistan in Paris on November 30 on the sidelines of Climate Change moot.

A search operation was also on in nearby villages for possible terrorists.

Naqvi reported from New Delhi.

Pakistan has condemned the attack and said it wanted to continue to build on the goodwill created by the impromptu meeting between Modi and Sharif last month. In the past, when it was in opposition, Modi’s own right-wing Bharatiya Janata Party was a vocal critic of engagement with Pakistan.