Strike clips Pak Navys wings

In fact,Indias association with the Faisal airbase goes back ever further; it is the cradle of Indian aviation,birth place of both the Indian Air Force and Air India.

On October 15,1932,a tiny single-engine aircraft flew from the airbase with a 25 kg load of mail to Bombay,making it undivided Indias first commercial flight. This celebrated flight on a de Havilland Puss Moth by J R D Tata paved the way for the formation of Tata Airlines that later grew into Air India. Almost a year later in April 1933,the Indian Air Force was born at the same airbase with the induction of four Westland Wapiti fighters.

It is probably because of the bases association with Pakistans economy and trade relations – by virtue of its proximity with the countrys main business town of Karachi links – that it was targeted by the Taliban.

As the hub of Pakistans naval aviation,the airbase is home to its most potent weapon – the P3C Orion maritime patrol and anti-submarine warfare aircraft – a highly potent fleet that not only worries the Indian Navy but is also capable of being used against the war on terror.

If the two aircraft destroyed were the ones recently upgraded in the US,the potential loss to Pakistan would be close to $100 million. Pakistan had effectively lost 40 per cent of its Orion fleet. While other aircraft like the Fokkers (seven) and Atlantique (two) are still available,the most potent by far are the Orions, a Navy officer said.

The attack demonstrates two things. One is the militants ability to enter such a complex and the other is the role that Pakistan Navy has been playing in the war against terror, says Uday Bhaskar,Director of the National Maritime Foundation.

Another blow has been to the morale of the Pakistan military. Faisal is one of the most heavily defended airbases in terms of an air cover and also one of the most heavily guarded military facilities. This is not the first time Karachi has been targeted. It is a real shake-up as the attack has taken place on the premium naval base. It throws up a lot of questions on the Pakistan militarys ability to secure its assets, the Navy officer said.

A major concern is that the Taliban has acquired the capability to storm and enter a heavily guarded military complex,once again throwing up questions on the safety of Pakistans nuclear weapons. While security at the airbase may not have been as tight as it is at nuclear installations,the Faisal base would have a very heavy military cover. If Taliban fighters can penetrate that and destroy two aircraft,there are genuine concerns about Pakistans ability to keep nuclear weapons safe, a security official said.

TERROR TRAIL
Pak since 2002

2002: A car bomb outside the US consulate in Karachi kills 12

2003: President Pervez Musharraf escapes injury in a suicide bomb attack which kills 15

2005: 43 killed when a bomb explodes at a Shia mosque in south Baluchistan

2006: 57 killed in a suicide bomb attack on a Sunni prayer service in Karachi

2007: Islamabads Lal Masjid held in a week-long siege. 105 die when the mosque is stormed by government troops on 10 July,leading to a wave of suicide bombings,killing at least 400 between July and November.

2008: 22 are killed in a suicide bombing targeting policemen standing outside the Lahore High Court.

2009

April: Sri Lanka cricket teams team bus attacked in March 2009,killing six policemen and a van driver and wounding several players

October: Teenage suicide bomber targets a military vehicle in a Shangla market,killing 41; days later,39 killed in five separate Taliban attacks on police and government targets across Pakistan.

2010

April: Five Taliban suicide bombers attack the US consulate in Peshawar,but fail to breach security; a truck bomb causes damage to building in an attack that claims seven lives

July: A suicide attack and a car bomb kill 102 people in village of Yakaghund

September: 3 suicide bombs rip procession in Lahore; picture above shows a protester

November: 68 killed as a suicide bomber targets a mosque during Friday prayers in Darra Adam Khel

2011

April 1: Two suicide bombers strike a festival at a Sufi Muslim shrine in the Dera Ghazi Khan district; 50 die in an attack claimed by the Taliban

April 26,28; May 22: Three attacks on Navy installations,personnel

May 13: 80 die in attack on a paramilitary training unit in Charsadda , Pak Taliban claim hand