Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited an Indian Air Force base in Pathankot on Saturday as he took stock of the ground reality in the aftermath of an attack on the strategic facility by militants.
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The Prime Minister was accompanied by National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, the Chiefs of Army and Air Force staff along with chiefs of National Security Guards (NSG) and Border Security Force (BSF).
Modi called on Pakistan earlier in the week to take action against those behind the attack, in which six militants also died.
“Footprints suspected to be of the terrorists have been lifted by forensic experts from Bamihal village in the border area and from within the air force station and have been sent to Central Forensic Science Lab for examination”, the statement read.
The Assembly was told that the Foreign Affairs Ministry would brief the National Assembly’s standing committee on foreign affairs about Saudi Arab-Iran stand-off and the Secretary-level talks between Pakistan and India on Tuesday.
Kerry rang Prime Minister Sharif amid speculations in India that the talks depend on action by Pakistani authorities on the leads India has shared with them about the attack.
Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif had called up Modi and promised action against the perpetrators of the brazen attack.
Seven security personnel were killed in the attack on the IAF base in Pathankot.
Indian intelligence agencies have claimed that they have intercepted communication between the Pathankot attackers and their handlers in Pakistan before the attack.
The combing operation began after the six Pakistani terrorists, believed to belong to the Jaish-e-Mohammed, were gunned down in a four-day gunfight. The media was kept away from the air base.
“We are expecting evidence beyond leads and information to proceed as per our law”, a senior official said in a background discussion after Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif chaired a meeting of his security aides on the Pathankot incident and Pakistan’s response.
Meanwhile, sending a strong signal to Pakistan in the issue, India has told it to act immediately on the plotters of Pathankot attack, if it really honest in bilateral talks.
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Spokesman John Kirby said Pakistan has condemned the attack and has made clear its commitment to investigate it. “It’s not for us to ascribe a timeline to somebody else’s investigation” Kirby said in response to a question at a regular briefing.
