'Pakistan must give up its double game'

Terrorists stormed PNS Mehran in Karachi Sunday night and battled security forces for over 15 hours. The siege ended with the killing of the militants who destroyed two surveillance aircraft.

Describing it as the "worst terrorist attack of the year", an editorial in the Daily Times said: "The brutal terrorist attack on the naval airbase turned out to be the worst nightmare for our security forces after the October 2009 attack on the GHQ."

"The mind boggles at the state of security of an area that should have been a fortified place but instead turned out to be an easy target for the terrorists."

The navy had twice come under attack before the PNS Mehran strike took place. On April 26, two navy buses were bombed and on April 28, another navy bus met the same fate.

"Under these circumstances and especially after the killing of Osama bin Laden, it is surprising that proper measures were not taken by our security forces in guarding the naval base. We should have been more alert but we saw a huge security lapse, something that the naval officials have failed to admit."

It went on to say that "a lot of pieces in the puzzle do not fit...(and) there is more to it than (what) meets the eye".

"The terrorists conducted an attack with such precision that it must have taken months of planning and drills. They knew the exact location of our aircraft and other details of the naval base. Such information can only come from insiders.

"This means that... some members of the armed forces may have been involved in providing sensitive information to the terrorists our state is fighting for its survival. If true, it points to possible internal fissures in the armed forces."

The editorial said that the only way to deal with terrorists is to "eliminate them once and for all. But for that we must give up our double game".