Jupinderjit Singh,Tribune News Service,Chandigarh, January 2

Security forces and Intelligence agencies are strongly suspecting involvement of a local political leader for helping the group of terrorists who attacked the Pathankot Air Force station.It is suspected that about 10 terrorists had managed to infiltrate on the intervening night of December 31-January 1 from across the border, but the exact entry point is yet to be ascertained.The security establishment is suspecting the joint involvement of Pakistan-based terror outfit Jaish-e-Mohammad and Babbar Khalsa in the attack, with the active support of local handlers.Though five terrorists have been killed so far, sources said they had sound information that about 10 terrorists had managed to sneak into India. This is corroborated by reports that some handlers arranged a taxi for them.They said RAW and IB were questioning Punjab Police SP Salwinder Singh, who was “unusually” let off by the terrorists. “Agencies are zeroing on the local handlers,” said an official.He said the hand of Jaish- e-Mohammad was suspected as they had an expertise in targeting defence bases. Where were five who attacked for 24 hours?If the route taken and exact motive of the three terrorists involved in the July 27 attack at Dinanagar are still unclear, Saturday’s attack raises another key question: where were the terrorists between 3 am on January 1 when a Punjab SP claims to have seen them and 3:30 am on January 2 when they attacked the Air Force station? And why and how did they go untraced?Although the defence spokespersons claimed having intelligence alert about the attack and 140 NSG commandos were in Pathankot by January 1 morning, besides Punjab Police officials led by ADGP (Law and Order) HS Dhillon, yet the terrorists remained untraced and managed to attack the Air Force station.Sources said initially the police and other forces were sceptical of the claims of SP Salwinder Singh that he and two others were kidnapped by terrorists. ADGP Dhillon was deputed to question him and prepare for any eventuality.Sources said the terrorists had carefully chosen the Air Force station as it is considered a soft target compared to attacking a military installation. The station, it is learnt, has several vulnerable points in its fenced and walled area.

Calls to Pak alerted agencies

Ajay Banerjee,Tribune News Service,New Delhi, January 2

Indian agencies monitoring telephone calls to Pakistan intercepted a series of calls between an India-registered mobile number and persons based in Bahawalpur in Pakistan, alerting them about the plan to attack the Pathankot air base.The calls were made in the wee hours of January 1. More  than 24 hours later, the air base was attacked by a group of terrorists at 3.30 pm.Phone calls of Pakistan-based operatives of the Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM), a banned terror organisation,  were intercepted, asking the terrorists why the attack had not been carried out so far.The India-registered mobile phone was reportedly ‘snatched’ by terrorists from Salwinder Singh, an SP-rank officer of the Punjab Police on January 1. The SP claims he was kidnapped by armed terrorists who took away his SUV and cellphone.  The SUV was found abandoned at 3.15 am on January 1.  The IAF base was attacked a good 24 hours later, leading to the question if  the JeM had a hideout. The JeM is headed by Maulana Masood Azhar, who was released from prison in exchange of passengers of Indian Airlines flight IC 814  which was hijacked in December 1999. Agencies have found that Pak-based operatives arranged a taxi (Toyota Innova) for the terrorists by calling from a Pakistan number. Security agencies are questioning the driver to find out if he had been serving Pakistan-based smugglers who have links with terrorists.It was after these calls were intercepted that the Army was alerted on the impending threat and its units located near Pathankot took up positions at the IAF base. The National Security Guard (NSG) unit in  Delhi was rushed to Punjab and so were IAF’s own special forces, the ‘Garuds’, deployed in Naxal-hit areas.An IAF spokesperson said: “A group of  terrorists was detected by aerial surveillance platforms as soon as they entered the Air Force station. The infiltrators were contained within a limited area, thus preventing them from entering the Technical Zone”.Later in the evening, Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar met the three Service Chiefs and the NSA.

On a suicide mission, terrorist told mother

• “I am out on a suicide mission. (Silence from the other end.)…I’m on a suicide mission and Allah will take care of all of us”A terrorist to his mother over phone

No intel or security failure, says Rajnath

Tribune News Service,New Delhi, January 2

Rejecting suggestions that intelligence and security failure led to the terror attack on the air base in Pathankot, Home Minister Rajnath Singh said, “Had that been the case, such an attempt could not be thwarted.”He, however, said that the role of Pakistan-based terror outfit Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) could not be denied and asserted that India would hit back in an equal proportion, if there was any terror attack on its soil. The entire operation to neutralise the terrorists was closely monitored by National Security Adviser (NSA) Ajit Doval. Sources said that the five terrorists belonged to Pakistan’s Bahawalpur-based Al Rehman Trust, as they were continuously being directed by their handlers Maulana Ashfaq Ahmad and Hazi Abdul Shqur.Talking to reporters here, the Home Minister — who attended a high-level security meeting at the Ministry of Defence which was attended by Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar, the NSA and three Chiefs of the armed forces — said, “Pakistan is our neighbouring country. We want good relations with not just Pakistan, but also with all our neighbours. We also want peace, but if there is any terror attack on India, we will give a befitting reply. We will hit hard.”Meanwhile, intelligence sources said that inputs had been given after the Gurdaspur SP was kidnapped.

Salaam alaikum – Ultra replies to call on abducted SP’s phone

Pathankot, January 2

“Salaam alaikum” was the reply when the gunman of the Superintendent of Police, who was thrashed by suspected Pakistani terrorists, called up on his mobile number after the news of the SP’s abduction along with his associates spread. However, after the gunman told the call receiver that the mobile phone belonged to SP Salwinder Singh, the call was disconnected. It was the last conversation which was made on the SP’s phone, which is believed to be used by the terrorists to make calls to Pakistan. “After we got alert about the incident (SP’s abduction), I tried making call on SP sahib’s number. Around 3.26 am, the call got connected. When I said ‘hello’, the reply from other side came ‘Salaam alaikum’. I asked ‘aap kaun’ (who are you)? The receiver said ‘aap kaun’? Then I told him this is my SP sahib’s number. The call receiver said ‘SP sahib kaun’ (who SP sahib?). Then he disconnected the line,” said SP’s gunman Kulwinder Singh. “I continued to say ‘hello, hello’ but the phone line  was disconnected,” Singh said. “It was the last call made on SP sahib’s phone number,” said Singh, who is SP Salwinder Singh’s gunman for the last  about five years.SP’s driver Rajpal Singh said, “After I got information from the control room about the incident, I also tried calling SP sahib’s both mobile numbers. But I failed to connect it.” Yesterday, Punjab Police had not ruled out the possibility that suspected militants had used SP’s mobile to make a call to Pakistan.Suspected Pakistani terrorists in Army uniform had  abducted and thrashed the Superintendent of Police and his two associates before dumping them some distance away and speeding away in his vehicle in the wee hours of Friday near Kathlore bridge here. SP Salwinder Singh, who was recently transferred as  Assistant Commandant, 75th Battalion, Punjab Armed Police  (PAP), said he and his friend Rajesh Verma, along with his cook Mohan Lal, were coming back after paying obeisance at Narot Jaimal Singh last night when four-five men signalled them to stop their vehicle.The SP added that they were overpowered by the suspected militants who drove away with them in their SUV.  The SP and Lal were dumped after some distance while Verma was thrown off the vehicle after some time with injury marks on his body.  — PTI