Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif called up his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi on Tuesday and assured prompt action against those responsible for the attack on the Pathankot air base. A group of at least seven gunmen wearing army fatigues stormed the compound early Saturday, prompting a four-day standoff with Indian security forces.
Advertisement
Pakistan on Monday again condemned the airbase attack in India and said it is “working on the leads provided by” New Delhi to help investigate the deadly assault in line with Islamabad’s commitment to effectively counter and eradicate terrorism.
Radio Pakistan reported that Sharif telephoned Modi “and conveyed sorrow and grief on the losses in (the) Pathankot terror attack”.
Sharif said that terrorists always try to derail the peace process between the two countries.
At a US State Department news briefing, spokesperson John Kirby also asked Pakistan to act against perpetrators of this week’s deadly attack on an Indian air force base.
Pathankot: Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar on Tuesday admitted to “some gaps” that led to the terror attack on the Air Force base here in which all the six infiltrators, who used some “Pakistan- made” equipment, have been killed. “But I don’t think we compromised on security”, he told reporters after touring the scene of the fighting.
The Nation, a Pakistani newspaper, quoted Sharif as saying: “We are with India in this hard time and will assist in any way possible…”
The government official, who requested anonymity, said it could take another 48 hours for the base to be secured, and by then the government hoped to have more information about the attackers and what links they may have to Pakistan, if any.
He said the combing operation is for safety objective as there are live, unexploded bombs besides rest of the ammunition.
It is likely that the National Security Advisors of the two countries may have an urgent meeting in the next few days after which a call would be taken on the Foreign Secretary- level talks.
In a separate development, the United Jehad Council (UJC) – an umbrella organisation of about a dozen Kashmiri terrorist outfits – issued a statement on Monday, claiming responsibility for the Pathankot attack.
Advertisement
Both the leaders also expressed their resolve to fight terrorism through mutual cooperation of their governments.
