Pakistani, Indian foreign secretaries to meet on January 15: Sartaj Aziz

Top Pakistan government sources have revealed that the country’s government has yet again claimed that “India can’t impose conditions for talks”.

Six terrorists, who had sneaked into the country from Indo-Pak border in Pakistan, attacked the Indian Air Force base at Pathankot in Punjab during the intervening night of January 1 and 2.

Referring to the outpouring of support for India among the USA lawmakers in the aftermath of the Pathankot attack, the officials indicated that in the absence of a concrete action by Pakistan against these terrorist groups, it would be a tough call for the Obama administration to push for any new military aid for Pakistan to through the Congress.

A senior official said the leads provided by India were handed over to Intelligence Bureau chief Aftab Sultan for further action. The fate of the talks rested on Pakistan’s response to the information, Indian government spokesman Vikas Swarup said on Thursday.

Participants in the meeting agreed that strong action would be taken after the probe if anyone in Pakistan is found guilty of involvement in the attack, the report said.

Mr Sharif’s action came after a clear message from New Delhi that the proposed Foreign Secretary-level talks would take place provided Pakistan took prompt and decisive action on the promise given by him to Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his telephonic conversation with him this week.

An insider said the U.S. had approached Pakistan to convey its reservations and information regarding the post-attack scenario.

The intelligence agency has identified JeM chief, his brother Rauf and two others – Ashfaq and Kashim as mastermind of the Pathankot attack.

Premier Nawaz Sharif chairs a high-level meeting at the PM House to discuss regional security. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Sharif have been struggling to keep their renewed dialogue announced last month on track in the wake of the attack.

It was noted with satisfaction that Pakistan’s counter-terrorism campaign had made significant gains and that Pakistan’s entire leadership and institutions were working in complete harmony to counter terrorism and extremism.

Explaining in detail, Aziz said, “The comprehensive dialogue will include all outstanding issues, including the Jammu & Kashmir dispute, as stated in the joint statement issued during Indian external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj’s visit to Pakistan”, Aziz said.