Over 40 hours after the first gunshots were heard at the Pathankot air base, a clear picture of the audacious terror strike is yet to emerge. Many questions remain:
Why did govt declare operation over?
PTIArmymen conducting a search operation in a forest area in the air force base in Pathankot.
Home minister Rajnath Singh on Saturday congratulated troops, said “all five terrorists” were dead. But on Sunday, body count went down to four. Fresh firing started at the base with at least two gunmen — and possibly more — holed up.
Why didn’t Punjab cops believe their SP?
Gurdaspur SP alerted them on Friday to the presence of four terrorists who’d taken his car and used his phone to call Pak. Despite call intercepts, cops launched a probe 12 hours later, wasting precious time looking at personal enmity angle.
Why the delay in action?
Security personnel had concrete intelligence and 24 hours to prepare. But gunmen managed to storm the base while troops were still looking for them outside. How many vehicles did gunmen use? Gurdaspur SP’s claim that four men seized his car suggests there were two teams of attackers.How did the others get to the air base?
Was standard operating procedure violated?
National Security Guard bomb disposal expert died in explosion while trying to retrieve grenade from a terrorist’s body.
At many cloth shops in Pathankot, army fatigues can be bought for `,1000.
PATHANKOT: With Pakistan-based terrorists in army fatigues once again setting into motion the second major attack on Punjab territory within five months with a car snatching, it remains a challenge for the security establishment to stop the misuse of the much-coveted uniform. The fabric that looks ‘almost similar’ to the army fatigues is available in most cloth shops on Railway Road, Pathankot, at a starting rate of around `200 per metre going up to `700 a metre. So, a full ‘uniform’ for an average adult male, who needs around 5-metre for both shirt and trouser can be had for as little as `1,000. After adding the stitching charges, one can roam around the city as an army man for less than `1,500.
JS GREWAL/HTThe fabric that looks almost similar to the army fatigues is available in most cloth shops in parts of the state.
Shopkeepers, however, claim that most customers they sell the fabric to are accredited army jawans.
“Most shopkeepers here have been selling the fabric for long and mostly for the use of army jawans. The army has never raised any concern on the sale. Everybody does it, so I do it as well. In fact, the sale of this fabric is our bread and butter. If an order is issued banning its sale, I will follow it,” a shopkeeper told HT on the condition of anonymity.
When contacted, defence spokesperson Manish Mehta said, “It is the duty of respective deputy commissioners to check the sale of cloth and uniform similar to the ones used by the army. Security personnel get their uniforms from respective units and only at authorised outlets in army areas.”
Deputy commissioner Sukhwinder Singh could not be contacted for comment. SSP RK Bakshi did not answer repeated calls made on his mobile.
Uncertainty, confusion mar rescue
TERROR In the first official briefing after the attack, home secretary said four terrorists killed, exact number to be confirmed only after the operatio
NEW DELHI: The government said on Sunday two more terrorists were still holed up in the Pathankot airbase and officials weren’t sure about the exact number of militants who ambushed the facility.
In the first official briefing after gunfire began, Union home secretary Rajiv Mehrishi and director general of air operations in the Air Force, Air Marshal Anil Khosla, said four terrorists had been killed so far in the encounter with security personnel.
“We are sure that still there are at least two more terrorists as firing have come from two different places. But we are not sure whether there are some more. We will come to know the number of terrorists only after the completion of the operation and body count,” Mehrishi said.
Mehrishi said Salwinder Singh, a superintendent of police in Punjab who was kidnapped along with two others on Friday and was left off later, said that there were only four terrorists.
When asked whether there was any lapse while dealing with the terrorists as seven security personnel were killed despite having prior information, Mehrishi said: “There was no lapse. Some casualties are obvious when there is an operation in this scale.”
The two officials said there were seven casualties — six Indian Air Force personnel (including five Defence Security Corps (DSC) personnel and one Garuda commando), and one National Security Guard officer, Lt. Colonel Niranjan EK.
The home secretary said the team of the specialised force was waiting in Pathankot for the terrorists as the exact point of possible attack was not known.
“When they (terrorists) attacked the air base, the NSG team moved immediately,” he said.
Air Marshal Khosla said the main aim of the terrorists was defeated as they could not reach the technical area of the Pathankot air base where high valued assets were kept.
“The first contact with the terrorists was made on Saturday morning at around 3.30 am. The terrorists were contained in an area where there is heavy growth and shrubs. The operation is now at a matured stage,” he said.
Khosla added that the operation was “slowed down” on Saturday after the killing of four terrorists as security forces were not sure whether there were more terrorists still at large.
Mehrishi said as of now it was suspected that Pakistan-bases terror group Jaish-e-Mohammad was involved in the attack
Jaish-e-Mohammad, the outfit believed to be behind the IAF base attack, has been operating with impunity, despite it being a banned entity. The attack comes a week after Prime Minister Naredra Modi’s visit to Pakistan and less than two weeks before foreign secretary level meeting in Islamabad to announce a timeline for a comprehensive engagement between the two sides.
The body of the martyr would be airlifted from Adampur (Punjab) to Ambala air base this evening for the last rites in his village. Deputy Commissioner Ashok Sangwan said the martyr would be cremated with full state honours. Gursewak served the Garud Commando Force, a Special Forces unit of the Indian Air Force in Adampur.Even as people mourned the death of Gursewak, his father, Sucha Singh, said he was proud of his son’s supreme sacrifice for the country. He said he got the information about the martyrdom of his son from his elder son, who is also an Army officer. Later he confirmed the incident with senior officers of the Garud Commando Force.Sucha Singh said Gursewak was very intelligent and cleared the Air Force exam in his first attempt six years ago after completing his graduation. His idol was Shaheed Bhagat Singh, he added.Gursewak is survived by his wife Jaspreet, to whom he was married around one and half months ago, parents and an elder brother. Gursewak’s village friends could not believe he is no more as it was just last Sunday they had met him. One of the village youths, Amarpreet, said Gursewak was very bold since childhood and he never wanted to face defeat in the life. Heath Minister Anil Vij visited Gursewak’s residence today to share the family’s grief.Haryana to give Rs 20 lakhHaryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar on Sunday announced financial assistance of Rs 20 lakh to the next of kin of Gursewak Singh, a resident of village Garnala in Ambala, who was killed in the Pathankot attack. He said martyr Gursewak Singh has done the state and the country proud.In a condolence message, the Chief Minister expressed his heartfelt condolences to the bereaved family and prayed to the Almighty that the departed soul might rest in peace. “Brave soldiers of Haryana have always defended the borders of the country and never hesitated to sacrifice their lives for maintaining the security and integrity of the country. Such brave men sacrificing their lives for their country remain immortal and their sacrifice always inspires fellow countrymen,” the CM said. TNS
