Indian Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar earlier today asserted that Pakistan’s filing of an FIR in the Pathankot attack case is ‘not enough’ and ‘serious’ action should be taken to ensure India’s satisfaction.
“Registration of a case is merely a step ahead but it won’t do. There should be serious investigation. Our effort is that they should take legal action to our satisfaction,” Parrikar said, according to the Indian daily Times of India.
Parrikar also asserted that India will hit back at terror groups in their own language. Those who inflicted pain on India will have to pay, he said. “When, what and how it will be done will depend on our convenience,” the Indian defence minister added.
On February 18, the Punjab counter-terrorism department (CTD) registered a case against the alleged attackers of the Pathankot airbase in India’s northern province of Punjab and their abettors.
Pakistani authorities also arrested the head of the Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) militant group on suspicion his outfit masterminded the attack on the airbase. Maulana Masood Azhar, a hardliner who was blamed for a 2001 attack on India’s parliament, was detained last month ago along with his brother and brother-in-law and remained in protective custody for at least 30 days.
Meanwhile, the national security advisors of Pakistan and India have agreed to allow a Special Investigation Team from Pakistan to visit India in March before the resumption of foreign-secretaries level talks between the two countries.
The visit will allow the team to carry forward its investigation following the registration of the FIR.
The brazen assault on the Indian Air Force base near Pakistan’s border on January 2 had derailed the recently resumed dialogue process between the two neighbours. The foreign secretary-level talks initially scheduled for January 15 had been put off immediately afterwards.
According to sources, the SIT would visit India in March first after which the foreign secretaries would hold their impending meeting.
Following the SIT’s visit, Indian Foreign Secretary Jaishankar will visit Pakistan to resume and discuss the mechanism of comprehensive bilateral dialogues.
Read : Pathankot airbase attack: Case registered in Pakistan
This article originally appeared on Times of India.
