LAHORE: Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Pervaiz Rasheed has said that the government has lodged the FIR in the Pathankot airbase attack after a committee comprising representatives of national security institutions recommended to do so.

On Friday, the Counter-Terrorism Department of Punjab police lodged an FIR against four alleged attackers with a police station in Gujranwala under various sections of the Pakistan Penal Code and Anti-Terrorism Act.

Senator Rasheed said the committee that made the recommendation for the FIR had been constituted soon after the attack on the Indian Air Force base. He was speaking at a condolence reference for Dr Ahsan Akhtar Naz before talking to journalists at the Punjabi Institute of Language and Culture on Saturday.

“Islamabad acted upon the committee’s recommendation to ensure that the world does not point a finger at Pakistan and instead understand that it’s fighting against all kinds of terrorism within and outside the country,” he said.

The minister said the accountability process must continue but it must not hinder the development taking place in the country.

Published in Dawn, February 21st, 2016