PNS Mehran: Navy chief absent from Defence Committee briefing

Navy officials briefing Senate's Standing Committee on Defence on PNS Mehran attack.

ISLAMABAD: Chief of Naval Staff Admiral Noman Bashir and other senior officials of Pakistan Navy are not attending the meeting of the Senate's Standing Committee on Defence , Express 24/7 reported on Tuesday.

The committee, meeting in Islamabad with Senator Javed Ashraf Qazi in the chair, is being briefed by navy officials on the PNS Mehran attack.

Members of the committee expressed their annoyance at the absence of Bashir and top officials of the Navy.

During the meeting, the members expressed concern over inadequate security arrangements at the naval airbase and said that these arrangements had resulted in the loss of lives and material during the attack.

The Senate body has also expressed surprise that a few terrorists had occupied the base and kept security officials engaged for over 16 hours.

Four new charges added to FIR

Police have added four new charges to the FIR report against the terrorists who attacked PNS Mehran.

Three new charges have been filed on possession of illegal weapons and one on possession of illegal explosive material. Fresh charges were added after police found weapons and explosive material from the terrorist killed in the operation.

A group of between four and six militants had besieged the base for 16 hours and destroyed two P-3C Orion aircraft from the Unites States, crucial for Pakistan's maritime surveillance capabilities.

The Tehrik-i-Taliban, which is allied to al Qaeda, claimed responsibility for the attack on the base.