By YKA Staff:
Within days of Prime Minister Narendra Modi visiting Pakistan, suspected terrorists from the neighbouring country launched an attack at an airbase in Pathankot, Punjab in the wee hours of Saturday (2nd December).
Last checked, four suspected Pakistani terrorists were killed in the attack whereas two Indian Air Force personnel lost their lives resisting it. Six security personnel were injured in the attack.
The attackers were met with strong resistance from the security personnel who were already alert to the possibility of an attack, top sources said in Delhi, adding that the terrorists, therefore, could not enter the air base.
The counter operation by the Indian forces was overseen by the National Security Advisor, Ajit Doval.
Security establishment was already on alert and anticipating an attack after a Superintendent of Police of Punjab police was abducted by a group of armed men in army uniform on Thursday night.
It is the second big terror attack in Punjab within less than a year as last year three militants stormed a police station in Dinanagar before being eliminated after a 12-hour gun battle.
Political observers linked the attacks to the PM’s Pakistan visit to wish his counterpart Nawaz Sharif on his birthday, as part of the diplomatic initiative to continue talks. Sadanand Dhume, a political commentator, tweeted that following the attacks, Modi’s Pakistan visit looked “foolish.”
Former editor of the Indian Express Shekhar Gupta tweeted that the attacks were “inevitable” following the PM’s Pakistan visit. “Ind shd decide whether or not to let thugs scuttle talks again (sic),” he added.