This is apropos a Business Recorder news item "Modi visits Pahtankot air base" carried by the newspaper on Sunday. According to it, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi praised the country's security forces on a visit to Pathankot air force base Saturday, one week after a militant attack left seven soldiers dead. The premier reportedly flew to the base in northern Punjab state to conduct an aerial survey of the area near the Pakistan border, following the strike by gunmen whom Indian officials suspect belonged to Jaish-e-Mohammed.

That Pakistan has agreed to carry out investigation in the light of the leads provided by India is a fact that speaks volumes about Islamabad's strong commitment to greater peace in the region. The US Secretary of State, John Kerry, has therefore rightly underscored the need for talks between the two neighbours despite a militant attack on India's Pathankot Air Base. Prime Minister Modi must not doubt his counterpart Nawaz Sharif's relentless efforts towards eliminating all forms and shades of terrorism in the country.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2016