On January 2, a heavily armed group of militants attacked the Pathankot airbase. In the encounter that lasted 50 hours, seven soldiers and five militants were killed. Indian officials believe that a threat still remains to the base.
"After our visit to Pathankot, which is the most vulnerable area, we made our suggestions to the government and said that there can be further attacks on Pathankot. We were told by the villagers that some terrorists were still hiding in the villages nearby," said Chairman of the committee P. Bhattacharya, addressing the media.
The committee was on a three-day visit to the Pathankot airbase and the city of Jammu to review the security arrangements along the international border. Bhattacharya said they had recommended strengthening security both inside and outside the strategically important facility. The presence of the army, a central reserve police force and border security force was increased afterwards. The committee also advocated providing fully modern equipment for border security.
