Antony asks PM to break silence on Pathankot

Former defence minister AK Antony on Thursday said Prime Minister Narendra Modi should break his silence on the terror attack at the Indian Air Force (IAF) base at Pathankot. 

"There was a serious lapse and there were enough hints... but no action has been taken. Hence, Modi should tell the country as to what happened," Antony said. "The attack occurred after Modi visited Pakistan. The country wants to know how this attack occurred. It is a serious matter. The prime minister cannot remain silent anymore and has to speak up and tell the country what happened," Antony added. 

Meanwhile, the Border Security Force (BSF) has constituted a fact-finding team, headed by a DIG-level official, to ascertain the route taken by terrorists who attacked the IAF base in Pathankot. 

The team will submit its report to the BSF headquarters within a fortnight.

The headquarters has asked field commanders to provide all assistance to the five-member team, which will travel to select areas along the Indo-Pak border  in Punjab and Jammu. Officials said a meeting to deliberate on these issues was held between Home Secretary Rajiv Mehrishi and BSF Director General DK Pathak on Thursday, after which it was also decided to chalk out a fresh protocol for checking infiltration.