India’s Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar told journalists on Tuesday that “all six terrorists were neutralised”. At least twice over the weekend it appeared that the attack had ended but fresh gunfire and explosions erupted both times.
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Five gunmen and seven Indian soldiers have been killed during four days of siege at the Pathankot air base, in the northern state of Punjab, near the Pakistan border.
The attack on the base began last Saturday, when gunmen dressed in Indian army uniforms entered residential quarters and began firing.
The UJC, an alliance of more than a dozen pro-Pakistan militant groups based in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, had claimed responsibility for the air base attack. “The attack on Pathankot Air Base from Kashmiri Mujhadeen carries a message to India that no security establishment and garrison are out of reach from militants”. He did not give details in the interview with a television news channel TimesNow on Tuesday.
Given the pressure on the government arising from the Pathankot terror attack, there are two opinions about the talks with the softer option being to defer these, and have instead a National Security Advisor level meeting to discuss the attack, and follow up action by Pakistan.
The attack is being seen as a blow to an apparent Indo-Pakistani peace initiative launched just days ago.
Mr Kumar said the probe was at an initial stage and refused to confirm if Pakistan’s external spy agency ISI had a role to play in the incident.
The attackers had crossed over from Pakistan and the Pakistan-based terrorist group Jaish-e-Mohammed may be responsible, according to India’s Home Secretary Rajiv Mehrishi.
Combing and search operations will continue till “we are able to fully render the base safe”, NSG IG Maj Gen Dushant Singh had said.
The base’s commanding officer Air Commodore JS Dhamoon has described it as a “mini-city”.
Some analysts have suggested the rare targeting of an Indian military installation outside disputed Kashmir may have been aimed at derailing talks between the neighbors, who have fought three wars since gaining independence from Britain in 1947.
“The minute I saw them I realised that they were terrorists”, Police Superintendent Salwinder Singh told media.
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The two prime ministers also showed a resolve to battle terrorism together through mutual cooperation, Radio Pakistan added. The Pakistani government, the Pakistani people very much understand the threat here, he added. “He ought to have taken opposition events into confidence earlier than taking such a step”, Congress chief Pramod Tiwari stated when requested about Nawaz Sharif calling up Prime Minister Modi to offer assurance that they might act towards these liable for Pathankot assault.
