Modi received a call this afternoon from Sharif regarding the terrorist attack on the Pathankot airbase, the office said.
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Answering to the question whether Pakistan had any connection with the attack on Pathankot air base, defence minister Manohar Parrikar said, some of the equipment recovered from the terrorists had been made in Pakistan, and confirmed that all six terrorists who attacked the base had been neutralized.
But beyond causing embarrassment, the Pathankot raid and its aftermath have threatened to derail an upcoming round of talks between India and Pakistan and has given ammunition to critics of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s efforts to thaw relations with his country’s blood rival. He had also announced all those seven security personnel killed during the attack will be treated as martyrs that will entitle them to all the benefits available to battle casualty in war-like situation.
“We want to see the government of Pakistan continue to press the fight against terrorists, all terrorists, and to meet their own expectations that they’re not going to discriminate among groups”.
India has repeatedly blamed Pakistani militants for attacks on its territory, specifically in India-administered parts of the contested Kashmir region in the north. UJC chief Syed Salahuddin and most of the group’s other leaders and cadres are widely understood to be living in Pakistan. The Air base here was attacked by six terrorists on Saturday last and the operation to flush them out continued till yesterday.
“We will ask them (Pakistan) to give us the voice samples once we identify these people”, he said.
The criticisms focused on India’s continued vulnerability to cross-border attacks and why the operation to clear the Pathankot Air Force station, about 30 miles from the Pakistani border, of a handful of heavily armed assailants was taking so long.
An umbrella group of Kashmiri militants has claimed responsibility for a deadly attack on an Indian military facility that stretched over days. India accused Pakistan of arming and training the insurgents, which Pakistan denies. In the meantime, India could do much more to strengthen its internal defenses and intelligence-gathering, so that future attacks can be prevented. I would note that the government of Pakistan, also publicly and privately condemned this recent attack on the Indian air base.
Nearly as if to underscore the worldwide nudges for the latest India-Pakistan peace talks, foreign ministry spokesperson Vikas Swarup this evening referred on Twitter to more countries that are keen on seeing negotiations between the South Asian nations.
The council is based in Pakistan’s portion of Kashmir, the Himalayan region divided between the countries and claimed in its entirety by both. Talks between their foreign secretaries are due on January 15. Until then, let’s hope for Pakistan’s sake that the next time there is another terrorist attack (which is inevitable), the Indian prime minister remains as restrained in his response.
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Modi’s Lahore visit came after a series of diplomatic engagements between New Delhi and Islamabad.
