Putting the ball squarely in Pakistan's court, India on Thursday linked the Foreign Secretary-level talks to Islamabad's "prompt and decisive' action in the Pathankot terror attack for which it has provided "actionable intelligence'.

New Delhi has also identified Jaish-e-Mohammed chief Maulana Masood Azhar, his brother Rauf, and two others as "handlers' behind the terror attack.

Uncertainty prevails on talks scheduled for January 15, 2016 in Islamabad between Foreign Secretary S. Jaishankar and his Pakistani counterpart Aizaz Ahmad Chaudhry following the terror strike on the Pathankot air base.

There is a widespread speculation that the talks may be put off to enable National Security Advisors to meet before that.

At a media briefing in New Delhi, External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Vikas Swarup faced a barrage of questions on Foreign Secretary-level talks but he remained non-committal on whether the talks will proceed as scheduled or will be put off. "Today is January 7 and there are 8 days to go before January 15," he remarked.