Pathankot attack: India asks Pakistan to take firm action against those responsible

In New Delhi, there was no official comment on the Pakistani statement nor was there any official indication as to through which channel the “leads” have been provided to Pakistan. “The first assurance was that the handlers of Mumbai attack would be tried and punished and only after that a comprehensive dialogue with Pakistan should start”, he added.

Nawaz’s statement Tuesday noted that whenever a “serious effort” for peace between the India and Pakistan was launched, “terrorists try to derail the process”.

Sharif “assured Prime Minister Modi that his government would take prompt and decisive action against the terrorists”, the PMO said. 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. “And again, I would point you back to what the government of Pakistan itself has said and acknowledged that it’s not going to discriminate among terrorist groups and it will continue to take the fight (to them)”, Kirby said.

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.

Indian army soldiers stand guard near the Indian Air Force (IAF) base at Pathankot in Punjab, India, January 3, 2016. The military said Tuesday that a total of six militants had been killed.

Six terrorists have been neutralised so far in the combing operation.

However, search and combing operations are on to ensure that the defence installation is properly secured and sanitised, they added.

Delhi/Pathankot: Even as the security agencies and the government is trying to put together pieces to unravel the Pathankot terror attack, a media report said that a former Indian Air Force officer may have leaked information about the air base.

India has long accused Pakistan’s military of sponsoring terrorist groups that conduct cross-border attacks. “We want to know what was discussed in the meeting and what agreement was made between the two countries with regard to responding to such attacks”, said Congress spokesperson Anand Sharma.

It said it wanted to show India that no security establishment was out of reach from militants, and that India should allow all Kashmiris to decide their political future.