May 03, 2016
Seven military personnel were killed after terrorists struck the Pathankot Air Base on Jan 2
New Delhi: In a searing critique of security and intelligence gaps that may have contributed to the Pathankot terror attack at the start of this year, a parliamentary panel has said that there is "something seriously wrong with our counter-terror security establishment."
Here are 10 developments in the story:
In its report, the cross-party panel of MPs rips into the home ministry while raising questions on India's preparedness against terror attacks.
Despite "concrete and credible intelligence inputs, the security agencies of our country are (too) ill-prepared to anticipate threats in time and counter them swiftly," the report says.
It also comments that the "terrorists managed to breach a high security air base and could launch an attack despite an advance alert."
On January 2, six terrorists who had infiltrated into India through the border entered the high security Pathankot airbase and opened fire. In an operation that lasted nearly three days, seven military personnel were killed.
The house panel points out that the terrorists were able to sneak in despite fencing, floodlights and patrolling along the border by the BSF or Border Security Force personnel.
The security at the airbase is also listed as a weak link. "The airbase security was not so robust and it had poorly-guarded perimeter wall. There was no patrolling around the base," the report says.
The panel also notes that the long growth of shrubs and plants around the base helped the terrorists hide and made it difficult for the security forces to search the area.
The role of the Punjab police is described as "very questionable and suspicious" in connection with the officer whose car was hijacked by the terrorists. "Even after their SP was abducted they took so long to arrive at a conclusion that the abduction was not a simple crime but it had serious security repercussions," the parliamentary committee says.
Backing the government's stand that the Pakistan-based Jaish e Mohammad was behind the attack, the committee has alleged that the attackers had Islamabad's support. "A crack cannot take place without active support from security and intelligence agencies of Pakistan as four armed men cannot easily pass thorough heavy Pakistani defence establishment situated near border area," it says.
The government has faced opposition anger in Parliament for letting a Pakistani team visit Pathankot, which has a fleet of India's Russian-origin MiG-21 fighter jets and Mi-25 and Mi-35 attack helicopters, along with other military hardware.
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