NEW DELHI: An Indian parliamentary committee investigating the Pathankot terror attack said on Tuesday it was surprised that armed men were able to penetrate what should have been a highly protected airbase, Indian Express reported on its web page.

The panel report said there was “something seriously wrong with our counter-terror security establishment” and suggested that Pathankot airbase’s security cover was not robust and had a poorly guarded perimeter wall.

Had the central government been serious and the intelligence agencies had functioned properly, the picture would have been entirely different, the panel said in the report presented to parliament on Tuesday.

The committee visited the Indian Air Force base and questioned how the terrorists, alleged to be from Pakistan, managed to reach the compound.

“The committee is unable to understand how despite a terror alert (having been) sounded well in advance, the terrorists managed to breach the high-security airbase and subsequently attack it,” the panel said.

It asked the government to pay attention to effectively sealing the border (with Pakistan) through increased patrolling as well as fencing and floodlighting among other measures.

Seven Indian security personnel were killed in the Jan 2 attack at the IAF base by terrorists who India says crossed over from Pakistan.

Published in Dawn, May 4th, 2016