Pathankot attack to spoil Indo-Pak ties: Kalraj Mishra

Coimbatore, Jan 3: Describing the terrorist attack at key Air Force base in Pathankot near international border as "unfortunate", Union minister Kalraj Mishra today said it was an attempt to spoil relationship between India and Pakistan.

Terrorists who could not digest the "good atmosphere" created by Prime Minister Narendra Modi's recent Lahore stopover engineered yesterday's attack, he told reporters here.

"Not only in India and Pakistan, good atmosphere has been created across the globe by Modi's visit. However, the terrorists have targeted the air force (base) trying to spoil the relationship between the neighbouring countries," the Union MSME minister said.

Replying to a question, Mishra rejected charges of intelligence failure.

"Not at all. Intelligence was giving information on a minute to minute basis and that is why we succeeded in stopping them. None of the terrorists will be allowed inside the country," he asserted.

Mishra, a senior BJP leader from Uttar Pradesh, dismissed the possibilities of opposition parties putting up a mega alliance on the lines of 'maha gathbandhan' in Bihar in his state for 2017 assembly elections, saying "it won't work out".

The battle would be between BJP, Samajwadi Party and Bahujan Samaj Party, he added. He also condoled the death of veteran CPI leader AB Bardhan, saying he was a good leader and a parliamentarian, and worked for the cause of labour force.

PTI