Modi asks Nawaz to walk the talk

• Nawaz assures Modi Pakistan will investigate any leads or information provided by Indian govt
• Indian forces kill last of six militants who attacked Pathankot base

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday urged Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to take immediate action after the attack on an Indian air force base in Pathankot, as Indian security forces claimed that they had killed the last of the six militants holed up inside the base.

In a statement, Modi’s office said PM Nawaz Sharif had telephoned him to discuss the attack on the Pathankot air base.

Modi “strongly emphasised the need for Pakistan to take firm and immediate action against the organisations and individuals responsible for and linked to the Pathankot terrorist attack,” said the statement.

“Specific and actionable information in this regard has been provided to Pakistan.” It said Sharif had given assurances that his government would take “prompt and decisive action”.

A statement from PM Nawaz Sharif’s office said he conveyed his grief and sorrow to Modi for the lives lost during the Pathankot attack.

Nawaz said terrorists will not be allowed to derail the peace process between the two countries and assured his Indian counterpart that Pakistan will investigate any leads or information provided by the government of India.

“Both the premiers showed resolve to fight out terrorism together through mutual cooperation,” the statement added.

Earlier, Pakistan said it was working on the ‘leads’ provided by the Indian government about the Pathankot air base attack in a significant move that may help keep the fragile thaw in frosty relations between the two neighbours intact.

“In line with Pakistan’s commitment to effectively counter and eradicate terrorism, the government is in touch with the Indian government and is working on the leads provided by it,” the statement said.

The statement came hours after a Kashmiri militants’ alliance, the United Jihad Council (UJC), claimed responsibility for the Pathankot attack, although the Indian media insists the attackers were members of Jaish-e-Muhammad militant group.

Officially, India has not yet pointed finger at Pakistan. The National Security Guard (NSG), which leading the operation at the base, merely said it was a Fidayeen attack – which means the attackers knew they were going to their death. “These terrorists had come well prepared and were heavily armed” the NSG said in a short briefing.

ALL ASSAILANTS KILLED:

Meanwhile, briefing reporters in New Delhi, Indian Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar said that Indian forces have killed the last of the six militants who attacked the Pathankot air force base though soldiers were still searching the base as a precaution.

Parrikar however stopped short of saying that the operation had ended, but Indian officials have said repeatedly that only six gunmen were involved.

At least twice over the weekend it appeared that the attack had ended but fresh gunfire and explosions erupted each time.

Parrikar did not explain how just a handful of gunmen managed to paralyse a large Indian air base for almost four days, insisting that security forces had done “a commendable job.”

Seven Indian soldiers were killed during the attack.

“I see some gaps (in intelligence) but we will be able to understand only after the investigation. But I don’t think we compromised on security,” he told reporters after touring the scene of the fighting.

He noted that the base is large, and is wooded in some places, making it difficult to pin down the gunmen.

Parrikar said the militants’ weapons included AK-47 assault rifles with makeshift rocket launchers attached, mortar rounds that could be fired from the launchers, pistols, and 50-60 kilograms (110-130 pounds) of ammunition.

A fifth gunman was killed Monday on the third day of a siege.

There was no gunfire as troops searched the air base on the fourth day of the siege looking for a possible sixth gunman involved in the attack.

Earlier, Indian Air Force spokeswoman Rochelle D’Silva had said, “There has been no firing since Monday night at the base.”

The search operations at the base will continue until all areas have been completely secured, Maj Gen Dushyant Singh, from India’s elite National Security Guard, told reporters.

The attack has dragged on since early Saturday morning as government troops struggled to contain the heavily armed attackers.

Four attackers were reported killed by Saturday evening, and at least two were said to have been exchanging gunfire with troops as of Monday morning. By evening one had been shot dead, Singh said.

Defence officials have said authorities had been alerted about a potential attack in the area on Friday, and that aerial surveillance at the base spotted the gunmen as they entered the compound, leading to criticism of how the situation as handled.

Singh told reporters in Pathankot that it would take a “long time” to declare the base completely secure because of its size and geography. It is spread over more than 2,000 acres, including forests and tall grass.

The commanding officer of the base, Lt Col JS Dhamoon, described it as a “mini-city” with homes and a school for the children of the personnel stationed there.

An army statement had earlier said the last gunmen were firing from a building that is part of the living quarters on the base.

The base has a fleet of India’s Russian-origin MiG-21 fighter jets and Mi-25 and Mi-35 attack helicopters, along with other military hardware. Officials have said no military hardware has been damaged in the fighting.

Military funerals were held Monday for the soldiers who were killed in the attack. Their killings inside a military base despite intelligence alerts have angered many in India.

“The biggest problem is the multiplicity of command and control. Nobody knows who is really in charge,” said Rahul Bedi, an analyst for Jane’s Information Group.

The Pathankot base and the northern state of Punjab, where it is located, has “probably the highest concentration of military personnel in India because it’s so close to the border with Pakistan,” Bedi said. “It’s a huge embarrassment,” he said. “It’s a major goof-up for everybody.”