Punjab is their new Target

'My fear is that if Gurdaspur happened, and now Pathankot happened, then what if they go more inside Punjab... what if Jalandhar were to happen... then what happens...'- Former Research and Analysis Wing chief A S Dulat

first of all they attacked Gurdaspur (Punjab) and now Pathankot (Punjab). which clearly states that they are now targeting Punjab. their are several reasons why they are targeting Punjab. lets see the detailed story.

Former Research and Analysis Wing chief A S Dulat sees a pattern in the recent terrorist attacks from across the border.

According to Dulat, the terrorists are mainly targeting Indian security establishments and recent attacks in the Punjab sector -- a police station in Gurdaspur in July and the Indian Air Force station in Pathankot on Saturday morning -- are a matter of serious concern as these attacks could perhaps spread across the state and may revive terrorism in Punjab.

"My fear is that if Gurdaspur happened, and now Pathankot happened, then what if they go more inside Punjab... what if Jalandhar were to happen... then what happens..." Dulat told Prasanna D Zore/Rediff.com in a telephone interview.

On the Pakistan army trying to derail the India-Pakistan peace process, now in the works

I wouldn't look at it like that. Pakistan will take the position that these are non-State actors, which is their standard line of defence. This is a grey area which has to be examined in a greater detail.

How they (the terrorists who attacked the Pathankot air force base on Saturday, January 2, morning) got across (into India) is our business and we should know how they came across and from where.

Parallels between Pathankot and Kargil

I don't look at it like that. I don't think the Pakistani establishment or the Pakistani army is trying to derail anything (Prime Minister Narendra Modi's peace attempt) because I am sure they are on board in this whole thing.

But there could be other people and whatever happened could have been planned before Lahore (the Modi-Nawaz Sharif Christmas day meeting) happened. These things don't happen overnight. This must have been in the pipeline. Now, who is doing this we need to figure out

On Pakistani terrorists attacking at will

I don't say it is very easy and terrorists are striking at will, but it (the terror attacks) is happening.

My fear is that if Gurdaspur happened, and now Pathankot happened, then what if they go more inside Punjab... what if Jalandhar were to happen... then what happens...

The very fact that these people are able to get in (inside India) indicates that there is something wrong somewhere...

If you look at what is happening for some time, along the Jammu border it is either (an attack) on a police station or an army camp. They are targeting the (Indian) security establishments. This is a serious matter, but I would not attribute it to the Pakistan (army).

People on the ground should know what measures to take to prevent such audacious attacks.

I think the Punjab and J&K police and the Border Security Force needs to cooperate on this and, of course, the intelligence agencies as well.

On whether there was a lapse and lack of coordination between Indian security agencies

Obviously, there is a lapse somewhere... when Gurdaspur happened (in July 2015)... and now it is Pathankot. So, this sector is being targeted for whatever reasons and we should look into why this part of Punjab is being targeted.

But the Pathankot airbase is a serious matter.

Lack of coordination

I would not say that, but whenever there is a crisis there is very good coordination. But when things are normal people (India's security establishment) forget about these (terror) threats.

It all depends on which groups are behind these attacks. My point is this is not something new.

Whether it is Lashkar (e-Tayiba) or Jaish (e-Mohammed) it is happening in that (Jammu and Kashmir) area and the fact that they are entering Punjab now is a matter of grave concern.

These things (revivalism of terrorism in Punjab) needs to be looked at and analysed with a very fine comb and look into whatever is happening.

Again they think its time for Politics

Following the attack on the Indian Air Force Base in Pathankot by terrorists, the Shiv Sena on Saturday alleged that Pakistan was eyeing Punjab after Kashmir and reiterated that talks with Islamabad were impossible as ‘dialogue and terrorism’ could not go hand in hand.

“Whenever there is a terrorist attack on India, then there is no need to search for the culprit or find out which country they belong to. We can close our eyes and say that Pakistan is responsible. This attack is a matter of great concern as it was on a sensitive area,” Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut told ANI.

Maintaining his stand against Pakistan, he said that this attack was proof that talks and terrorism could not go hand in hand.

“What happened today is what we feared for so long. The Shiv Sena has reiterated time and again that dialogue with Pakistan and terrorism can’t go together and now peace talks are happening. The Prime Minister suddenly went to Lahore and it felt like the situation would get better, but it didn’t,” Raut said.

He alleged that after Kashmir, Pakistani terrorists were now ‘targeting’ Punjab and this was the biggest ‘threat’ to India at present.

“Peace in the valley has been destroyed. ISIS and Pakistan flags are being openly displayed. Will Punjab meet the same fate? Even today we maintain that Pakistan needs to be responded to in their same language,” the Shiv Sena leader said

Responding to Home Minister Rajnath Singh’s comment that India would retaliate if attacked, Raut questioned the Centre asking where the promised retaliation was.

He also put the onus on the Pakistan government saying that they were responsible for the terrorism that sprung from their soil.

Earlier, Rajnath condemned the attack and said that the Army, the National Security Guard (NSG) and the Punjab Police were giving a befitting reply in the operation underway in Pathankot.

“Pakistan is our neighbour and we want to have good relations with them including all our other neighbours as well,” the Home Minister said when asked if this will hamper the peace process initiated by India with Pakistan.

“We want peace, but if there is any terrorist attack on India we will give a befitting reply. I am happy that our security forces, our Army jawans, Para-Military forces and the Punjab police are retaliating strongly. The country is proud of them,” Rajnath told ANI.

So far, three defence personnel have been martyred and four terrorists have been neutralised in the operation and crossfire.

According to sources, the terrorists had infiltrated into India three days ago from Bahawalpur in Pakistan.

Now What ?

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) is now preparing to seek Pakistan’s help in identifying the six terrorists who stormed the IAF base in Pathankot on Saturday. NIA DG Sharad Kumar on Tuesday said that intercepts of phone calls made to Pakistan by the now slain terrorists were primary evidence against them and their handlers, and that India will ask Islamabad to provide voice samples of persons the terrorists spoke to.

“Once we identify the people the terrorists spoke to — and this includes one of the terrorist’s mother — we will ask Pakistan to give us their voice samples so that it can be matched with the intercepts,” NIA Director General Sharad Kumar said.

He added that the agency was already taking help of forensic experts and will collect DNA samples from the site, and from the bodies of the slain terrorists. “We will send these samples to Pakistan to match with the families of the terrorists,” said Kumar.

The terrorists had made several calls from the mobile phone of Punjab SP Salwinder Singh to places in Pakistan, including Bahawalpur where they spoke to their handlers as well as family members, sources said.

Kumar said the agency will also question the SP over the terrorists letting him off. “It looks murky, but it will be unfair to pass any judgement until we question him,” he said.

Sources said the agency, at a later stage, may also send letters rogatory for evidence against handlers of the terrorists.

About the nationality of the terrorists involved in the attack, Kumar said there was little doubt that the accused were from Pakistan and added “whatever evidence that is available to us till now is based on intercepted calls between the terrorists and their handlers and family across the border”.

He, however, refrained from naming the terror group responsible for the attack. “Let us work first. We will be able to establish everything once we have some evidence,” he said.

Intelligence agencies have indicated that Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammed were behind the attack. Kumar refused to confirm if Pakistan’s external spy agency ISI had a role to play in the incident. 

Credits - Rediff.com