Pakistan Must Act if Terrorists are Pakistani: Dawn Editorial

Terrorists believed to be from Pakistan sneaked into the IAF base at Pathankot and killed seven security personnel.

Army personnel move in vehicles during the operation against the militants at the Indian Air Force base in Pathankot on Monday. (Photo: PTI)

Pakistan should take “reciprocal steps” if it is proved that Pakistanis were involved in the terror attack on the IAF base in Punjab, an editorial in Pakistan’s leading newspaper Dawn said on Monday.

<p> If Pakistani nationals are found to be involved in the attack, the information should be shared with Pakistani authorities as quickly as possible[...](and then) reciprocal steps should be taken here[...] to thwart the political motives of terrorists, a sensible, co-operative approach by both governments should be the key.</p>

<p><b>Excerpt from <i>Dawn</i>’s Editorial</b></p>

Terrorists believed to be from Pakistan sneaked into the Indian Air Force (IAF) base at Pathankot on Saturday and killed seven security personnel. Five terrorists have been killed while two more are still believed to be holed up in one part of the sprawling complex.

The editorial said that while Pakistan-India ties were necessarily about a great deal more than terrorism, “the latter is perhaps the one threat that can derail the relationship yet again”.

The Saturday attack comes soon after Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s dramatic two-hour visit to Lahore on Christmas Day, where he met his Pakistani counterpart, Nawaz Sharif.

The Dawn praised the Pakistan government for quickly and unequivocally condemning the terror attack and offering its cooperation with India. “Yet, the challenges are formidable,” it said.

<p> The hostile reaction by much of the Indian media to the alleged involvement of Pakistanis in the attack even before the barest facts could be established underlines just how difficult peacemaking will be. Courageously, however, the Indian government has appeared to resist media and hawkish pressure and declined to go into attack mode against Pakistan. </p>

<p> <b>Excerpt from <i>Dawn</i>’s Editorial</b></p>

<p> It is all too easy to reap political capital in the midst of a major terrorist attack by targeting perceived external enemies. The preferable approach – one that hopefully the Indian government will continue to adopt in the days ahead – would be to quickly establish the facts. If no involvement of Pakistani nationals is found, the information should be shared with the Indian public.</p>

<p><b>Excerpt from <i>Dawn</i>’s Editorial</b></p>