UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon on Tuesday condemned the terror attack on the IAF base in Pathankot and encouraged leaders of India and Pakistan to build on recent high-level exchanges between the two nations to address all outstanding issues through dialogue.
Advertisement
“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”, he said.
According to ARY News correspondent Azhar Farooq, Mr. Sharif phoned up Modi from Sri Lanka, where he is on a three-day official visit to oversee signing of several bilateral agreements in different sectors.
Modi’s comments came as India’s defence minister said the Pathankot attack had exposed “some gaps” in security following media criticism of how the incident was handled.
Indian security forces say they have killed five attackers, the fifth on Monday, and believe one remains on Pathankot air force base’s sprawling premises.
The Pathankot attack was claimed Monday by the United Jihad Council, an umbrella group for militant outfits fighting in the Indian-controlled section of Kashmir. The military said Tuesday that a total of six militants had been killed.
Sharif “assured Prime Minister Modi that his government would take prompt and decisive action against the terrorists”, the PMO said.
The commanding officer of the base, Lt. Col. J.S. Dhamoon, described it as a “mini-city” with homes and a school for the children of the personnel stationed there. It is spread over more than 2,000 acres, including forests and tall grass.
The air force base is on the highway that connects India’s insurgency-plagued Jammu and Kashmir state with the rest of the country.
Parrikar said the militants’ weapons included AK-47 assault rifles with makeshift rocket launchers attached, mortar rounds that could be fired from the launchers, pistols, and 50-60 kilograms (110-130 pounds) of ammunition.
Indian officials had been warned beforehand that an attack could be imminent at the Pathankot base, and had flown commandoes there in case of trouble.
Officially, India has not yet pointed finger at Pakistan.
Criticizing Pakistan for condemning the Pathankot attack, the editorial said Islamabad is ‘faking by doing so’.
“We strongly encourage the governments of both India and Pakistan to remain steadfast in their commitment to a more secure and prosperous future for both our countries and for their region”, Kirby said.
It said it wanted to show India that no security establishment was out of reach from militants, and that India should allow all Kashmiris to decide their political future.
Advertisement
Indian officials initially blamed the Jaish-e-Mohammed militant group that allegedly operates from a Pakistani border town.
