“Sharif assured Prime Minister Modi that his government would take prompt and decisive action against the terrorists”, the PMO said. Nawaz Sharif while conveying sorrow and grief on the losses in Pathankot terror attack said terrorists always try to derail the process of peace between the two countries.
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The telephonic dialog takes place at a time when the Foreign Secretary-degree talks with Pakistan scheduled for this month seems in critical jeopardy with robust indications that the Modi Government might name off the engagement if proof emerges that Pakistan’s state actors have been complicit within the fidayeen raid on the air base.
Addressing the media after a visit to the forward base that was under siege from Saturday morning, he said the terrorists were neutralised in an operation that was over in 38 hours but combing operations are still on and may continue for a day or two.
But military analysts said India’s response to the attack was amateurish – there were inadequate offensive measures and the multiplicity of forces involved and a lack of suitable equipment rendered the entire operation a near fiasco. The Indian investigation based on the location of these calls is said to have zeroed in on the officially banned Jaish-e-Muhammad (JeM), an Islamist militant group fighting in Kashmir with operational networks within Pakistan.
On Tuesday, Modi urged Sharif to take action against organisations and individuals linked to the Pathankot attack following leads provided by New Delhi. On the night of December 31, Gurdaspur Superintendent of Police Salwinder Singh was on his way home from near the India-Pakistan border when he was abducted along with his two companions byt terrorists from Pakistan. So far, seven Indian military personnel have lost their lives.
Congressman Eliot Engel, Ranking Member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, expressed support to India in its fight against terrorism.
It said specific and actionable information in this regard has been provided to Pakistan. Defence officials have said authorities had been alerted about a potential attack in the area on Friday, and that aerial surveillance at the base spotted the gunmen as they entered the compound, leading to criticism of the handling of the situation.
“Prime Minister went there (Pakistan) uninvited”.
He stressed that the base was a “complicated area” spread over almost 2,000 hectares (5,000 acres) and housing 3,000 families. Alliance spokesman Syed Sadaqat Hussain issued a statement to Current News Service, based in the Indian portion of Kashmir, saying the attack carried a message for India that no security establishment was out of the militants’ reach.
He said that the U.S. wants India and Pakistan to resolve all issues bilaterally.
“Modi has sought time-bound and serious action from Pakistan”.
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Kashmir is a Himalayan region divided between India and Pakistan, but claimed in its entirety by both.
