More articles by

Soni Mishra
Soni Mishra

BJP MEET

Modi's strong message to Pakistan: Killing of soldiers in Uri will not go in vain

PTI9_24_2016_000144B Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressing a public rally in Kozhikode | PTI
  • "Leaders in Pakistan read out speeches written by the heads of terrorist organisations and sing the Kashmir song.”

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday hit out at Pakistan strongly in the backdrop of the terror attack on an army camp in Uri, saying he wanted to tell the rulers of the neighbouring country that the sacrifice of the 18 soldiers who died in the strike would not go in vain and that India would not forget their killing.

“The rulers of Pakistan should listen to this. The sacrifice made by our 18 jawans will not go in vain,” a visibly angry and aggressive Modi said in his first public reaction to the attack in Uri as he addressed a rally in Kozhikode.

Modi referred to the immense public anger with regard to the attacks. “These days, there is tremendous anger in the entire country. Our neighbouring country has been exporting terrorists to Jammu and Kashmir, and our 18 jawans were sacrificed. The terrorists should listen to this carefully. This country will never forget this,” he said.

There was tremendous anticipation with regard to what Modi would say in his speech amid speculations that the government would take some tough steps against Pakistan in the wake of Uri attack. And he did not disappoint, with more than half an hour in his hour-long speech dedicated to attacking Pakistan. Modi, however, largely desisted from naming Pakistan, referring to it as the neighbouring country.

The first time that he named Pakistan in his speech was when he said he wanted to talk directly to the people of Pakistan and tell them to ask their leaders why they coveted Kashmir when they were unable to control PoK, East Pakistan (today's Bangladesh), Sindh, Gilgit, Pakhtunistan and Baluchistan. He went on to say, “The two countries became independent together. Please, ask your rulers why India is exporting software but your country is exporting terrorists.”

Continuing to address the people of Pakistan, he said their leaders talk of fighting with India for a thousand years. “The government in Delhi is ready to accept your challenge,” he said. But immediately, he struck a statesman-like posture and said that India was ready to fight, but on the issues of poverty, unemployment, illiteracy and maternal and infant mortality.

In an apparent effort to address the criticism that his government has been unable to thwart terrorist incidents, Modi said as many as 17 attempts had been made in the last few months to push in terrorists, bot the security forces stationed at the border foiled them, killing more than 110 terrorists. “Our security forces have fought bravely and saved the country from 17 possible terrorist incidents. In one successful attempt of the neighbouring country, 18 brave men were martyred. If the 17 attempts would have been successful, they could have caused so much destruction,” he said.

Modi also sad that the leaders in Pakistan read out speeches written by the heads of terrorist organisations and “sing the Kashmir song.” Trying to answer questions raised about what action his government was taking, the prime minister said India would isolate Pakistan on the global stage. “We will force you to be alone in the entire world,” he said. Not just India, but the entire world held Pakistan responsible for exporting terrorists and being a haven of terrorism, he said.

Modi said that while he foresaw the people of Pakistan rebelling against their leaders on the issue of terrorism, he was certain that India has a future filled with peace, unity and amity.

The prime minister arrived in Kozhikode on Saturday to attend the BJP’s three-day national council meeting, which will conclude tomorrow. The meet is taking place under the shadow of the Uri attack, and its main agenda—launching a 'Garib Kalyan’ slogan to commemorate the birth centenary of party ideologue Deen Dayal Upadhyaya—has been overshadowed by the issue of terrorist attacks and how India will act against Pakistan in this regard.

This browser settings will not support to add bookmarks programmatically. Please press Ctrl+D or change settings to bookmark this page.

Related Reading