Pakistan PM, Army & ISI chief all condemn Pathankot terror attack

ISLAMABAD/NEW DELHI: Condemning the Pathankot attack in one voice - for the first time following a terror strike in India, Pakistan's civilian and military leadership on Friday promised full cooperation with New Delhi in eradicating the menace of terrorism from the region, a denunciation that would be reassuring for South Block. The decision was taken at a meeting chaired by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and attended by Army chief, General Raheel Sharif, ISI chief, Lt Gen Rizwan Akhtar, DG Military Operations, National Security Advisor, Minister for Interior and Advisor to PM on Foreign Affairs. "The meeting discussed the Pathankot attack, expressed condemnation of this incident, and reiterated the country's commitment to cooperate with India to completely eradicate the menace of terrorism afflicting our region," read a statement issued by PM Sharif's office. The condemnation will be heartening for both, national security advisor Ajit Doval and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who scripted a stunning turnaround in relations, after they received assurance from the Sharif government that even the Pakistan army was in favour of engagement with India. The breakthrough came in Bangkok where Doval met his counterpart Lt Gen Naseer Janjua, widely seen as Gen Raheel Sharif's man. It was that meeting that convinced India that it was the right time to not just seek engagement with Pakistan over terror but also agree to Islamabad's demand that the composite dialogue process be resumed. Modi then sanctified the whole process with his pit stop in Lahore where the two PMs asked their foreign secretaries to meet in January to work out the modalities for the comprehensive bilateral dialogue, as announced in Islamabad. In line with Pakistan's commitment to effectively eradicate terrorism, the Pakistan government statement said the meeting reviewed the progress made on the information provided by India. "It was decided to remain in touch with the Government of India in this regard," it said. The meeting also expressed that after the confidence built on the goodwill generated by the recent high level contacts, the two countries would remain committed to a sustained and comprehensive dialogue process. "It was noted that Pakistan's counter-terrorism campaign had made significant gains and that Pakistan's entire leadership and institutions were working in complete harmony to counter terrorism and extremism," the statement said. The people of Pakistan, the statement further said, have evolved a political consensus for action against all terrorists and terrorist organizations without distinction. "The people of Pakistan have resolved that no terrorist would be allowed to use Pakistan's soil for committing terrorism." Some quarters in Pakistan, however, expressed fears that the foreign secretary-level talks slated for mid-January might be put off for a few days or weeks by the Indian side, if it was not satisfied with the outcome of the investigation leads provided to Islamabad through diplomatic channels. Sharif, in his recent telephonic conversation with Modi immediately after the Pathankot assault, had promised full cooperation to New Delhi over alleged linkages of the terrorists with some elements on this side of the border. Earlier on Friday, Sartaj Aziz, PM advisor on foreign affairs, told parliament that foreign secretaries of two countries will meet in Islamabad on January 15. In response to a written question, Aziz told the house that the foreign secretaries would discuss modalities for the comprehensive bilateral dialogue and its timeframe during the meeting in Islamabad. -TOI