Pathankot FIR

By registering an FIR against unknown attackers for the Pathankot airbase incident, Pakistan has done what India asked of it. But this has not been enough to mollify the Indian government. The Indian defence minister has accused Pakistan of ‘pretending to be asleep’; the Pakistani government was also blamed for not mentioning Masood Azhar and Jaesh-e-Mohammed in the FIR. The fact is that India cannot expect Pakistan to do so without proof. Azhar is currently in the protective custody of the Punjab government and action has been taken against seminaries linked to the JeM. Calling on Islamabad to do more will achieve nothing if it isn’t accompanied by proof. If there is anyone who is asleep, it is the Indians. Weeks after the attack Delhi still isn’t sure if there were four or six attackers. The National Security Guard, which led the response to the attack, maintains that it killed six attackers but the remains of only four have been found. Such investigations take time and patience, something India has sorely lacked when it comes to Pakistan. With its own investigation running into such hitches, it should not pretend to be on a moral high ground.

There is some reason to believe there was a Pakistani connection to the attack. India provided Islamabad with mobile phone numbers that were called in Pakistan and it has been found that they were purchased with fake identification, indicating that these SIMs were used for criminal activity. But it requires a considerable leap of faith to go from a possible Pakistani connection to not just blame Jaesh-e-Mohammed but also imply that the state was in on it. An FIR has been registered and a joint investigation team is being sent to India next month. India should now wait and see what its own and the Pakistani investigations turn up. It is doing no one any favours by pre-judging Pakistan. But that seems to have become a bit of a nasty habit in quite a few Indian circles, including their media. Right now let us just focus on the investigation. There will be plenty of time for politics later.