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| Pak hawks can be snubbed if Delhi keeps doors of dialogue open | | | | Can New Delhi treat infiltration of four terrorists into Punjab from across the border for the purpose of attacking Pathankot air base Pakistan's New Year gift to India? It is in fact a meaningful message from Islamabad to New Delhi when the stage is being set for the bilateral process of dialogue. On one hand voices have multiplied in Pakistan demanding sustained and result-oriented talks so that various issues, that have bedeviled the relations between the two sides, were resolved, on the other there seems to be overt or covert support of Pakistan Army, guarding the border, to these terrorists for crossing into the Indian territory in Punjab. In fact it is an improved version of the over year old Gurdaspur incident when terrorists sneaked into the Indian territory from across the border to attack a police station. The latest incident is an uncanny replay of the modus operandi in the Dinanagar terror episode of July 27 last year in which three Pakistan-origin terrorists of 'Lashkar-e-Taiba', had crossed over from the international border and attacked a local police station. Ten persons including the Gurdaspur Superintendent of Police were killed in the 12-hour-long operation that killed all heavily-armed terrorists who were equipped with two GPS devices and night vision devices with US army marking. The planned attack on air base in Pathankot had bigger ramification than the Gurdaspur incident had not the Indian forces launched timely counter insurgency operations killing all the four terrorists. However, in the encounter three soldiers lost their lives. Political observers treat the Pathankot incident as a challenge for Prime Minister Narendra Modi's efforts to reach out to Pakistan on Christmas day as four terrorists, who in all probability sneaked in from across the border, launched an audacious attack on Pathankot air force base on early Saturday morning. Five terrorists have been killed along with two commandos, some civilians and air force personnel were injured. The gunbattle between terrorists and security forces at the Air Force Base lasted for more than five hours and left two Air personnel and four terrorists dead. Since it is believed that more groups of terrorists have sneaked into the Pathankot area combing operations are underway. Available information shows that the terror attack was a New Year present and message to the Indian establishment, with the four of them in all probability sneaking in from Pakistan on January 1, and launching the attack on the early morning of January 2. It may never be clearly known if even a section of the Pakistan establishment was involved in the attack, or which other elements were party to the terror plan. That fog of war will also create complex challenges to decision making in New Delhi. Since all the four terrorists have been killed and no major damage was caused to the air force base it would be better if New Delhi did not change its mind on holding the process of dialogue. Let the foreign secretaries of India and Pakistan meet in Islamabad on January 15 and if they do so it would be a major snub to those hawks in Pakistan who are opposed to promoting cordial ties between New Delhi and Islamabad through the process of dialogue. One had expected that there is major change in the outlook of the Army in Pakistan after one Lt. General Naseer Janjua was appointed as National Security Advisor. Right from the day he was installed as NSA he has shown better wisdom than his predecessor Sartaj Aziz by reaching out to Ajit Doval and setting the stage for a meeting between the two foreign secretaries in Bangkok in the presence of two NSAs. However, this impression is belied by the way Pakistan Army helped the four terrorists in sneaking into the Indian territory in Pathankot. In fact attack on air force base in Pathankot was meant to send a warning to the establishment and the security agencies in Jammu and Kashmir as Pathankot is located on the border with Jammu. And if both Punjab and Jammu and Kashmir have received instructions for upgrading the security grid it is a valid step. And besides air force bases in Jammu and Kashmir there is need for upgrading the security cover in and around the civilian airports and other vital installations. |
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