Pathankot attack: Will PM Modi confront Pak, asks Congress

Following the attempted terror attack on the Indian Air Force base in Pathankot, Punjab, the Congress Party on Saturday asked whether Prime Minister Narendra Modi would take up the issue with his Pakistan counterpart.

"It is a matter of serious concern. Will the Prime Minister take up the issue with Pakistan now that he has recently visited Pakistan?" asked Congress leader R.S. Surjewala.

"How does the government propose to control and check terror coming from Pakistan? These are a few issues that Prime Minister Modi needs to address," he added.

The Congress leaders also pointed out that terrorist exported from Pakistan were behind the attack in Pathankot.

"First in Udhampur, then in Dinanagar in Gurudaspur and now in Pathankot. These terrorists wore army fatigues, they kidnapped vehicles and they consequently attack army or other sensitive installations," he said.

Surjewala also said that now that in the winter season the infiltration in Jammu and Kashmir is not possible, the peaceful Punjab was being targeted by the terrorists.

Early this morning, around five militants dressed in army fatigues opened fire near the Pathankot Air Force station. The Pathankot National Security Guard team and the Garud Commando Force were roped in to engage the terrorists in a gun battle that began shortly after 3 a.m. with terrorists in the non-operational area of the base.

At the time of the filing of this report, four of the five militants have been killed. There is a heavy deployment of security in and around the air force base. A terror alert has also been issued for most parts of northern India, including national capital New Delhi.

It is also being reported that National Security Advisor Ajit Doval has briefed Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the situation in Pathankot, though this is yet to be formally confirmed.

Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar is also expected to chair a high-level security meeting that will include the three service chiefs and heads of various key security and intelligence agencies to review the overall security situation and to assess the situation on ground.