In a surprise move, Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed Pakistani citizens, invoking their pre-Independence connection with undivided India at the BJP national meet in Kerala. Modi asked them to demand accountability from their government and question their “misleading” tactics. Modi also ‘invited’ Pakistani people to join him in a “war” against poverty, illiteracy and unemployment.
Slamming Pakistan on the issue of terrorism, Prime Minister Modi said,
India will not be broken by these terrorists. We have always fought back and we will continue to fight them. The country is angry. Terrorists from Pakistan killed 18 soldiers in Jammu and Kashmir. India will never forget Uri. Wherever there is terrorism in Asia, every country holds only one country responsible. This is the one country that is exporting terrorism in every direction.
The attack on the Indian Army base at Uri by Pakistani terrorists has generated a strong response from the international community. India is also preparing its strategy to deal with Pakistan in the aftermath of the attack. The world appears to be on the same page as India on its strategy to isolate Pakistan internationally for breeding terrorism.
Here are a few developments that took place in India on Saturday amid discussions on the security situations across the LoC.
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi met the Army, Navy and Air Force Chiefs of Staff to discuss the prevailing security situation along the border and India’s response to the attacks in Uri on Saturday. [Source: ANI]
- Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif claimed that the Uri terror attack could be the result of a “reaction” of the people to the situation in Kashmir. He criticised India for blaming Pakistan “without any evidence”. [Source: PTI]
- India’s Permanent Representative to the UN Syed Akbaruddin said that Pakistan is being globally isolated because of its terror links and its efforts to internationalise the Kashmir issue has not found any resonance with other nations. [Source: ANI]
- In his first speech since the Uri attacks, BJP assured PM Modi is going to speak about the terror strike and put Pakistan on the table as an “important issue”. The party asserted that more will be done to bring the neighbour to book. [Source: The Times of India]
- Referring to Pakistan PM’s speech in UNGA, Dr Subhash Chandra, Chairman of the Zee Media Network and Rajya Sabha member has tweeted that he is considering to pull the plug on Pakistani shows on their popular channel Zindagi. [Source: The Quint]
- Pakistan has cancelled a trade exhibition which was scheduled to be held next month in India, amidst heightened tensions between the two neighbours after the Uri attack. The exhibition was meant to promote bilateral trade between the two countries. [Source: PTI]
- Meanwhile, an Indian-American community in the US has launched a White House petition to designate Pakistan a state sponsor of terrorism, days after a bill in this regard was tabled in the US Congress by two powerful lawmakers. [Source: PTI]
- Pakistani defence forces have readied an “operational plan” to give a befitting response to any “misadventure from war-mongering India” and targets in India have also been selected for an immediate quid pro quo, a Pakistani daily said on Friday quoting defence sources. [Source: The News]
- Pakistan’s Defence Minister on Friday warned India that by granting asylum to Baloch leader Brahumdagh Bugti, it will become an “official sponsor of terrorism”. [Source: PTI]
- In the wake of rising tensions at borders with India, China has assured in unequivocal terms its support in case of any foreign aggression and also supported Pakistan’s stance on the Kashmir dispute, according to a press release issued by the Punjab Chief Minister’s Office. [Source: IANS]
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