Pakistan media ridicule army for attack

In an unexpected move, some media outlets have accused the military of complicity in the Karachi naval base attack.

Pakistan's military has come in for unexpectedly stinging criticism from the country's media following an attack by Taliban fighters on key naval bases in the southern port city of Karachi.

Editorials in both the English and Urdu-language press on Tuesday ridiculed the army and accused them of complicity in the attack, which saw a small group of fighters lay siege to the PNS Mehran naval base.

"Political rhetoric and a Cabinet Defence Committee meeting are not going to solve this one," read an editorial in the English-language daily, The News.

"This is an epic failure exposing an existential threat that will need epic leadership to countervail."

An editorial in the usually pro-military Urdu-language Jang, said that the attacks illustrated "a weakness of security measures".

"In very polite words, it can be called worrisome negligence," the paper said.

The English-language Dawn newspaper questioned whether the attackers had received help from within the military, asking: "Did the Taliban raiders have information inside the naval base?"

"Such a possibility cannot be ruled out, because the involvement of serving personnel in several previous attacks has been well-established," the paper said.