JeM role not ruled out in Pathankot attack: Rajnath

New Delhi, Jan 2: Home Minister Rajnath Singh today did not rule out the possibility of involvement of Pakistan- based terror group Jaish-e-Mohammad in Pathankot attack and said India would hit back hard if there is any terror strike on its soil.

"Pakistan is our neighbouring country. We want good relations with not just Pakistan but with all our neighbours. We also want peace but if there is any terror attack on India, we will give a befitting reply. We will hit hard," he said.

Asked about the possibility of JeM's involvement in the attack, Singh said such a possibility cannot be ruled out. "The case will be probed by the NIA but the possibility of JeM being behind the attack cannot be ruled out," he said. The Home Minister said there were intelligence inputs about possible terror attacks in Punjab and steps were taken which helped avert higher casualties.

"There were some inputs and hence there was caution. We have exercised caution. If we had not taken steps, there could have been bigger damage," he said.

The Home Minister said the operation was still on by the army and other forces to detect if any more militants were hiding. "Operation is still on. Unless it is completed, we can't say what are the total casualties. But I think our forces are achieving success," he said.

Singh said he was happy that the security forces -- army jawans, paramilitary jawans and jawans of the Punjab police -- were giving a befitting reply. "The country is proud of our security forces and our jawans," he said.

PTI