AGENCY
New Delhi: Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar on Wednesday said that one of the reasons for attack on Pathankot Air Force Base is that terrorists failed in Jammu and Kashmir.
The minister noted that the number of terrorists killed in J and K is much higher.
“When we became proactive, we were condemned that why we went 200 km inside to destroy a boat,” said the minister.
He also asserted in Lok Sabha that security has been stepped up on the borders since in the wake of Pathankot Airbase attack of January.
He said till now it has not been found through which route the attackers of Pathankot Air Base came but insisted that six terrorists were involved in the attack, amid contention by the NIA that the investigators had found only four bodies.
Parrikar as also Home Minister Rajnath Singh were responding to a debate during which the government came in for a scathing attack over handling of the Pathankot attack, with the opposition dubbing as a “critical mistake” the decision to handover the operation to NSG.
The opposition also questioned as to what Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Lahore stopover had achieved, noting that the terror strike had happened just a few days after that.
In his reply, Singh said India wants good relations with all neighbours but not at the cost of self-respect.
“We want good relations with all our neighbours. We want good relations with Pakistan too, but not at the cost of this country’s pride, dignity and self-respect,” the Home Minister said.(PTI)
