The Congress and the Aam Aadmi Party have protested the visit of a Joint Investigation Team (JIT) from Pakistan to probe the January 2 terrorist attack at Paathankot airbase. The Opposition cannot be faulted for protesting the entry of people from a neighbouring country deep into the airbase. However, it should listen to the ruling parties when they say the JIT has been granted limited access - that, too, not the frontal part of the airbase, but the rear side, which is said to be four to five km away. In allowing the JIT access it cannot be assumed that the Narendra Modi government has mortgaged the interests of the nation.
There's no guarantee that Pakistan will admit to complicity in the terrorist attack. It is disquieting that an official of Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence is part of the JIT. But India cannot dictate terms to Pakistan on the composition of the JIT.
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If the JIT shows courage, is not disingenuous in accepting the truth and follows through with action, the experiment of allowing a Pakistani probe team to visit a terrorist attack site can be deemed rewarding.
K V Seetharamaiah, Hassan
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