ISLAMABAD The Senates Standing Committee on Defence, which met here Tuesday under the chairmanship of Lt-Gen (retd) Javed Ashraf Qazi, discussed in detail the terrorist attack on the Mehran Base of the Pakistan Navy in Karachi. Chief of Naval Staff Admiral Nauman Bashir did not attend the meeting, according to reports. Deputy Naval Chief Admiral Shafqat Javed and Chairman Inquiry Committee Rear Admiral Tehsin Ullah Khan briefed the committee, but could not give replies to several questions asked by members of the committee. Upon it, PML-N, JUI-F and Jamaat-e-Islami members voiced strong protest. According to sources, officials from the Pakistan Navy informed the Committee that investigations were underway and they would be able to provide all the details after completion of the investigations. After the meeting, the Chairman of the Committee declined to share details of the meeting with the media, saying it was an in-camera session. Sources privy to the meeting said that naval officials informed the committee that there were six terrorists who attacked the base; four were killed while two escaped. Investigation about their associates was continuing. The delay in launching operation against the terrorists by naval commandos was caused due to the very reason that they had to protect 35 aircraft and 16 helicopters on a priority, the meeting was reportedly told. Some other aircraft were also standing close to the P-3 C Orion aircraft which were fired upon, and they were also shifted to safe places. Eleven Chinese engineers and six Americans were also frisked out of the base after the attack, the committee learnt. Members of the committee expressed annoyance at the absence of the Naval chief. The members also 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, at the outset of the meeting, expressed surprise that a few terrorists had occupied the base and kept security officials engaged for over 16 hours. Our Staff Reporter from Karachiadds: Though two separate investigation teams are probing the PNS attack, investigators have remained clueless so far about the group involved in the brazen attack as well as in identifying the terrorists killed during the attack. Sources privy to the matter told TheNation that to identify the terrorists killed during the gunbattle as well as to identify the group behind the attack has now become a challenge for the investigators. One inquiry team was being led by Rear Admiral Tehsin Ullah while later the provincial government formed another investigation team comprising representatives of Inter Services of Intelligence, Intelligence Bureau, Military Intelligence, Federal Investigation Agency, police and other agencies. A senior police official said investigators have detained several suspects across the country and also some leads are available, but there is no major breakthrough as yet. APP adds: A Pakistan Navy spokesman clarified on Tuesday that the news item which appeared in a sections of media attributing the responsibility of security breach at Naval Air station, Mehran, to the Pakistan Air Force was reported out of context. It is clarified that no such allegation was levelled against the sister service at any stage, the Navy spokesman remarked. It is reiterated that a Joint Investigation Team (JIT) is working on the matter. Only this investigation team has the mandate to ascertain facts through findings and to fix responsibility, it was further stated.