India Denies Reports on Cancelled Talks With Pakistan Amid Airbase Attack

India’s National Security Adviser Ajit Doval on Monday denied reports that India-Pakistan foreign secretary-level talks scheduled for later this week were cancelled, adding that they would take place only if Pakistan took action against those behind the attack on India’s Pathankot airbase.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) – A group of gunmen stormed the Pathankot airbase in the Punjab region on January 2, killing at least seven security personnel. The Foreign Ministry of India has said that Pakistan must deliver "prompt and decisive action" on the evidence provided by India of the terror attack, which suggests that the attackers were Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammed militants.

India "will talk only if Pakistan takes action," Doval said, as quoted by the NDTV news outlet.

Pakistan has announced that the talks will be held on January 15 in Islamabad. India has not confirmed the dates but has officially not called off the talks yet.

Relations between India and Pakistan have been strained since they declared independence from Britain almost 70 years ago. Both countries lay claims to the Kashmir region in India’s north. The attacked Pathankot base lies on the road to the contested area.

Jaish-e-Mohammed, designated as a terrorist organization in numerous countries, seeks to separate Kashmir from India.