Pathankot attackers non-state actors with establishment support: Parrikar

Non-state actors were involved in the Pathankot terror attack but they cannot function smoothly without support from the state, Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar said on Tuesday in the Rajya Sabha.

Replying to supplementary questions in the upper house, the minister was asked by Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut whether the Pathankot attack was carried out only by terrorists or the Army.

"Does the government believe it was just a terror attack or done with the help of Pakistan Army," Raut asked.

Parrikar, in reply, said: "All details will come out in NIA investigation. In this, non-state actors from Pakistan are certainly involved, that is sure... And any non-state (actor), they can't function smoothly without state support."

The January 2 terrorist attack on the Indian Air Force base at Pathankot in Punjab had left seven security personnel dead. Six terrorists, who attacked the base, were killed in a gun battle which lasted almost three days.