Bodies of four terrorists, who attacked Pathankot air base on Saturday, have been recovered. Reports say 11 security personnel have been martyred in fighting terrorist. Eighteen injured security men have been admitted to a hospital in Pathankot. The holed up terrorists opened fire again on Sunday morning after hiding for 17 hours somewhere in the air base area. NSG’s Lieutenant Colonel Niranjan E Kumar was martyred while defusing a grenade or explosive from the belt of a dead terrorist. Meanwhile, combing operation in and around the Pathankot air base was still on when reports last came in. Security forces believe that terrorists could still be hiding inside. Grenade blast that occurred at the site of fighting in the air base while defusing indicates that the terrorists were heavily armed and carried large quantities of explosives.
The attack was planned by ISI. The target was the air base and its valuable assets. According to sources the input was received by DG Jammu and Kashmir police who dispatched the same to the entire Police Department. The information was further shared by Jammu and Kashmir police with their counterparts in Punjab.
The note was sent two days prior to the kidnapping of former Gurdaspur SP and three days prior to the attack on Indian Air Force base. Singh, after he was released, had claimed that five militants, in army fatigues and armed with rifles and grenades, had abducted him in the wee hours of Friday and set him free an hour later, 35 km away.
While intelligence agencies believe that the attack on airbase might be a show of strength, Jammu and Kashmir Police Department said that the reason behind JeM’s resurgence is a desperate attempt to remain relevant in Kashmir especially after Kashmir-centric groups like Hizbul Mujahideen and Lashkar have been leading the insurgency in the valley.
We join the nation and the President of India in conveying heart-felt condolence to the bereaved families and at the same time we salute the martyrs who have written the history of their bravery and valour with their blood. The grateful nation will remember them for all times to come.
We all know the plans and intentions of Pakistani planners of those dastardly acts. Obviously, they have been given befitting reply and that will continue to be given in future also. This is not the first attack of its kind by Pakistani jihadi legions willing to be killed on the bidding of ISI and Pakistani army. However, the difference lies in the fact that this attack has come brazenly on the heels of Prime Minister’s unscheduled stop over at Lahore on return to home from Moscow and Kabul. Some Indo-Pak watchers in the country, including sections of media, raised eyebrow on the wisdom of the PM in undertaking an unscheduled jaunt to hostile Lahore. After the Pathankot air base attack, they feel they are vindicated. The embarrassing issue has once again stuck out its neck. Should we continue with promised comprehensive dialogue or should we call a day to it? The issue will gather momentum with the passing of days. And certainly, it merits cool and considered dissection.
This attack has made it clear to the world community that Pakistan has not one but two centres of power: the elected Government in Islamabad and the GHQ in Rawalpindi. The army has traditionally played the domineering and decisive role, especially in two areas viz. Pakistan’s foreign policy and Kashmir. While Islamabad regime wants to enter into meaningful dialogue with India, the GHQ tries its entire means to scuttle and sabotage that attempt. The Pathankot air base attack is the fall out of Modi-Sharif bonhomie. The question is why we should become the target of jihadis in a duel going on between Islamabad and GHQ. In this tussle, blame comes to the doorsteps of Pakistani civilian regimes, elected or imposed. They became the mouthpiece of the army, and chanted Kashmiri mantra far louder than what the army brass expected. At the end of the day, when the legions of Islam, trained and armed by Pakistan army, and their leadership patronized by the ISI, turned their guns against the elected Government in Islamabad, it realized its tenuous situation and under some spell of saner moments, began to think that friendship with India could be the road to deliverance. However, Pak army would not let it lie low. It needed to sabotage the process to prove its existence.
We believe in peacefully negotiated deals to solve mutual issues. Pakistan is trying its utmost to provoke India into embarking on a pincer attack of which she is fully capable. That would help Pak military brass wean away the nationalist elements within Pakistan from supporting a democratic Government by playing up religious card. That is a bad strategy. We hope that our policy planners will refuse to fall in that trap. Supporting a democratic and nationalist Government in Pakistan is in our interests and the interests of peace and stability in the South Asian region.
Pak army would not stage a coup right now. Deepening internal crisis and unfavourable international climate do not support Pakistan Army Chief to walk in the footsteps of his predecessor. Intensifying the proxy war against India is much safer to pin down Islamabad. ISI and GHQ will hatch more bizarre conspiracies and target more sensitive installations in our country. We need keeping the powder dry. We need sensitizing civilian population in the entire western belt bordering with Pakistan. Even the capital city of New Delhi is sensitized. We need to strengthen intelligence wholesale.
Pakistan’s denial makes no sense, In this case, as in many previous cases we have strong evidence to prove Pakistani jihadi involvement. It will be recollected that only recently the former Army Chief and President of Pakistan bluntly told a TV channel that Pakistan army has a fully considered plan of exporting terror to India. Confessions recorded from captured Pakistani terrorists and saboteurs corroborate the statement of former Pakistani President and Army Chief. Not only that, the LeT godfather Hafiz, openly goes on making strong propaganda asking Pakistanis to contribute lavishly to funds for Kashmir jihad. Though the Pathankot air base attack is the handiwork of JeM, another Pak-based jihadi organization yet in regard to India, all three major jihadi organizations in Pakistan, namely LeT, JeM and TTP are ideologically in complete unison in carrying fire and brimstone to India.
In final analysis, Pathankot attack seals the lips of those crying hoarse in Kashmir for India talking to Pakistan. Instead of calling Pathankot attack a test of Modi’s gambit, they should not remain content with condemning the attack but give up cowardice and ask the masses of people in Kashmir who between the two countries is sabotaging peace process.
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