Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif will have to act following his government’s statement that it was working on leads provided by New Delhi in the wake of the Saturday attack on the IAF base at Pathankot, The Nation said.
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The attack followed Modi’s surprise recent visit to Pakistan and came days before top foreign ministry officials were to meet in Islamabad to discuss a range of outstanding issues, including Kashmir.
“Prime Minister of Pakistan called the Indian Prime Minister today”.
The three are scheduled to visit the strategic base, situated about 35 km from the border with Pakistan, in the afternoon to get a firsthand assessment of the ground situation after six terrorists were killed by security forces.
Security forces had yesterday killed two more Pakistani terrorists inside the Pathankot air base with the government saying that six attackers had thus been neutralised.
Replying to questions on the reported security lapses, he said, “I see some gaps”.
Indian Prime Minister Modi urged his Pakistani counterpart to take “firm and immediate action” against those behind the attack.
He further said that Pakistan in a statement made privately and publically had said that they would target all the terrorist groups and not discriminate when it comes to targeting them.
Nawaz Sharif condemned the attack and told Modi that Pakistan will stand by India in fighting terror. He pointed out to the Indian prime minister that whenever a serious effort for bringing peace between the two countries was underway, terrorists tried to derail the process.
“Unfortunately, India’s neighbour Pakistan has provided safe haven to terrorists for years from shielding Osama bin Laden to backing covert terrorist operations around the world”, he said.
This was their first known conversation since Modi dramatically flew into Lahore on Christmas Day while returning home from Kabul and spent some two hours with Sharif.
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“Pathankot air base attack has been carried out by the mujahideen associated with National Highway Squad”, a spokesman for UJC Syed Sadaqat Hussain said.
