Following an audacious terror attack on Pathankot airbase in which seven soldiers were killed, there is no word yet, officially from the Indian government, whether the talks will go ahead as scheduled in mid-January between the Foreign Secretaries of two sides, or whether the National Security Advisors(NSAs) would meet first.
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“The claim will invariably draw yet more scrutiny of anti-India militants based inside Pakistan, and in Kashmir in particular”, it said.
A thorough probe into the incident is still awaited.
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. “Leaders of both the countries had not given any controversial statement regarding the Pathankot attack”, he added.
The editorial warned that the Pathankot attack and the 25-hour siege at the Indian consulate at Mazar-e-Sharif in Afghanistan – “where Pakistan has always been accused of using militants to further its strategic depth policy” – could potentially put a dent in the bilateral talk process.
The Pathankot attack was claimed Monday by the United Jihad Council, an umbrella group for jihadist outfits fighting in the Indian-controlled section of Kashmir.
The head of India’s National Investigation Agency, Sharad Kumar, told reporters in New Delhi on Tuesday that the attackers came from Pakistan, but did not elaborate. Indian Defense Minister, Manohar Parrikar said, “combing operations” to clear the base were continuing and could last into Wednesday.
The attack precedes a meeting between top foreign ministry bureaucrats of the two countries in the Pakistani capital, Islamabad, on Jan 15 to discuss steps to settle outstanding issues, including Kashmir.
The Obama administration has often said that it wanted India and Pakistan to work together to bring peace and stability to the region.
In a statement viewed by Reuters, Syed Sadaqat Hussain, a spokesman for the alliance, said, “The attack is a message by Mujahideen (militants) that no sensitive installation of India is out of our reach”.
Pakistani officials reportedly confirmed that the two leaders spoke, noting that, expressing sorrow, Pakistan said it would examine any information India provided.
Kashmir is a Himalayan region divided between India and Pakistan, but claimed in its entirety by both.
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The day before the assault, a police officer returning from a temple had been abducted by a group of heavily armed men speaking Urdu, among other languages, he said on Tuesday.
