Pakistan under pressure, US seeks 'progress' in Pathankot probe

The attack was originally planned for January 1, but then there was a last minute change in plan and the operation was pushed to the next day, the NIA officer informed.

Washington DC, May 12: The United States government had sought progress in Pathankot attack investigation by Pakistan as it felt that the ties between India and Pakistan could be worst. It has said that the reduction in cross-border attacks by terrorist groups based in Islamabad and progress in the 2016 Pathankot attack investigation might ease the tension between hostile neighbours.

The Donald Trump government had also stressed that Islamabad's poor groundwork to curb support to anti-India militants and India's growing intolerance on the same, coupled with an assumed lack of progress in Pakistan's investigation into the January 2016 Pathankot cross-border terror attack had damaged the bilateral relations in 2016.

"Increasing numbers of firefights along the Line of Control, including the use of artillery and mortars, might exacerbate the risk of unintended escalation between these nuclear-armed neighbours," the statement of the US Intelligence Community Senate Select Committee on Intelligence read.

Trump government also said that the 'easing of heightened Indo-Pakistani tension that include negotiations to renew official dialogue might hinge in 2017 on a sharp and sustained reduction of cross-border attacks by terrorist groups based in Pakistan.

How terrorists entered the Pathankot air force station

On January 2, 2016, The NIA officials found that while the first two terrorists gained entry into the base through a storm water drain, the rest of the four scaled the wall. A rope has been found at the site which indicates that the remaining four terrorists used it to scale the wall.

This provided the four terrorists with the cover and they managed to scale the wall. As per the original plan, the terrorists were planning to move around the base in buddy pairs (pairs of two).

The terrorists first tried to gain control over the ammunition dump at the air base. However, they were not successful. The idea was to first gain control over the assets and then blow themselves up with the help of the explosive belt that each one had strapped around them.

When was Pathankot attack was planned

The attack was originally planned for January 1, but then there was a last minute change in plan and the operation was pushed to the next day, the NIA officer also informed.

The investigations into the Pathankot attack makes it clear that two terrorists had entered into the air force station on January 1, 2016, itself. The rest of the four terrorists entered the airbase the next day.

NIA officials probing the case told OneIndia that the original plan of the first group of terrorists was to take control over the air base as they were looking to destroy the assets.

OneIndia News