Pathankot truth will come out: Sharif

The assault on the base near the Pakistan border led to speculation that diplomatic talks planned for Jan. 15 might not take place.  Kerry, who is said to have spoken to Sharif by telephone, said he hoped the attack would not derail the talks. He felt the talks were in the interest of regional security, according to a statement from the Pakistani Prime Minister’s office on Saturday night. 

“The Prime Minister told Secretary Kerry that we are swiftly carrying out investigations in a transparent  manner and will bring out the truth,” it said. “The world will see our effectiveness and sincerity in this regard.” 

India has urged Islamabad to take “prompt and decisive” action against militants responsible for the attack that ended only after a four-day operation. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday visited the base at Pathankot and  was briefed on how the security forces had responded to end the attack.

Meanwhile,  a man, allegedly moving suspiciously near a BSF post in the border area of Dera Baba Nanak in Batala (Gurdaspur district in Punjab), was apprehended  and  handed over to police on Sunday. The man, identified as Harpreet Singh alias Honey, was  wearing a trouser similar to army fatigue and was allegedly hiding in the bushes when he was caught by BSF, SHO of Dera  Baba Nanak Paramjit Singh said. 

BSF seized his mobile phone which was allegedly used to take pictures of army tanks and government buildings, Paramjit Singh said. The man was handed over to the police, he said, adding that investigation was going on. 

Gurdaspur, particularly its biggest town Batala, has been on high alert as locals have been reporting sighting of suspected terrorists over the last few days.  

Two Kashmiri youth were picked up “on suspicion” from near an area close to Trishul airbase  and their identity was being verified, a senior officer said in Bareilly.