New Delhi: The full extent of terrorist operations in Pathankot and the likelihood of Delhi facing a similar threat is leading to mounting suspicion that the suspected Jaish-e-Mohammed strikes could not have been executed without Pakistan’s armyintelligence complex being in the loop.The multiple terror groups that work out of Pakistan has made it difficult even for the proverbial “deep state” to keep a tab on all, but India operations remain under the close control and scrutiny of the ISI and the general headquarters.There is the possibility of hold outs and elements in the military who may not be as much “on board” the peace process as the army brass was said to be after the recent meeting between PMs Narendra Modi and Nawaz Sharif in Lahore.Given the infamous mendaciousness of the Pakistan military, suspected to have harboured Osama Bin Laden — the truth about the attack on Pathankot may never be revealed.Evidence that will come to light in coming days could trace the plot with greater certainty but the possibil ity of rogue elements carrying out the jihadi strikes seems to be shrinking as the number of the terror squad rises and it becomes apparent that this was not a small autonomous group.While the Pakistan army could have ostensibly been in the loop over the peace initiative, a belief system that sees India as the enemy in political and religious terms is hard to jettison. At best, there can be a tactical decision to allow the civilian government more leeway at a particular point in time.Last year, when two terror strikes in Gurdaspur and Udhampur helped derail the India-Pakistan NSA talks on terrorism, there was little attempt to mask their Pakistani roots. The attacks were read as the Pakistan army’s deep annoyance over the omission of Kashmir from the ambit of the planned discussions.This time around the peace process and the intended “comprehensive dialogue” does include J&K. It is un clear whether the attacks are a comment on Modi’s stop over at Lahore and intend to reiterate the Pakistan army’s commitment to the Kashmir jihad.India-focused terrorist tanzims like LeT Hizbul Mujahideen and Jaish have remained loyal to ISI on the understanding that their operations in India will not be checked. There might be tactical pauses, but there would be no rollback.This is the reason why LeT and Hizb, despite their sympathy for the causes espoused by outfits like Tehrike-Taliban , did not break with the Pakistan army.