In view of the attack, Punjab had been put on maximum alert while security measures were also tightened in neighbouring Haryana and common capital of the two states- Chandigarh.
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Suspected Islamist gunmen staged a pre-dawn attack on a key Indian air base near the Pakistan border Saturday with at least two militants killed in a shootout, officials said, striking a blow to the neighbours’ fragile peace process.
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Security establishment was already on alert and anticipating an attack after an SP of Punjab Police was abducted by a group of men in army uniform on Thursday night.
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The attack comes days after Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s surprise visit to Lahore, Pakistan on December 25. Indian security forces intercepted the gunmen, and two of the militants died in the ensuing gunfight.
Authorities suspect that the attack was carried out by Jaish-e-Mohammed, a terrorist group that has its base in Pakistan and is active in the terrorist violence in Jammu and Kashmir.
The entire area has been cordoned off, police said.
Earlier, an Indian Defense Ministry spokesman, Dhananjay Mohanty, said the attackers were “intercepted” before they could storm the Pathankot airbase and that the situation was under control.
In response, preparatory actions had been taken by the Indian Air Force (IAF) to thwart any such attempt.
The incident comes days after the Indian and Pakistani leaders Narendra Modi and Nawaz Sharif met in Lahore to launch a surprise peace initiative. “They could not enter the air base and managed to reach only to the langer (kitchen) area on the outside”.
“That was quick. Here’s the first major challenge to the PM Modi’s bold Pakistan gambit”, former chief minister of Indian-controlled Kashmir Omar Abdullah wrote on twitter.
“We want good and friendly relations with Pakistan, and not just with them but with all our neighbors”, Home Minister Rajnath Singh said in comments broadcast by local television stations on Saturday. Security has also been beefed up at Air Force Stations at Chandigarh and Halwara in Punjab and at the air base in Ambala.
Top security officials including India’s National Security Adviser Ajit Doval held a meeting in New Delhi in the aftermath of Saturday’s attack, media reports said. The base houses jet fighters and attack helicopters, according to NDTV news channel.
It was not clear if there was any link with Saturday’s attack.
The terrorist group invloved in the attack are believed to be members of Pakistan based terror outfit Jais-e-Mohammad (JeM) and had infiltrated into India from Bhawalpur in Pakistan.
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“Both the countries should not fall into the trap of provocation of the terror outfits who must be given a strong message that they can not derail the dialogue process”, CPI national secretary D Raja said.
