NEW DELHI: Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Friday (Jul 26) that Pakistan is trying to stay relevant through “terrorism” and “proxy war” but its “unholy plans” will never succeed.
The nuclear-armed South Asian neighbours share an uneasy relationship and India has, for decades, accused Pakistan of backing militants fighting its rule in Kashmir, the Himalayan region both claim in full but rule only in part.
Pakistan denies the accusations, saying it only provides diplomatic and moral support to Kashmiris seeking self-determination in the Muslim-majority region.
Modi’s comments came at an event to mark the 25th anniversary of India’s short military conflict with Pakistan in the Himalayan region of Kargil. The arch rivals have also fought three wars, two of them over Kashmir.
They also come in the aftermath of a spate of militant attacks in the Hindu-majority Jammu region of Jammu and Kashmir – as the territory is formally called – with almost a dozen Indian soldiers killed this year.
Modi said Pakistan was humiliated whenever it tried to further its plans but had “not learned anything from its history”.
“I want to tell these patrons of terrorism that their unholy plans will never be successful … Our brave (forces) will squash terrorism, the enemy will be given a befitting reply,” he said.
Pakistan’s foreign ministry did not respond immediately to a request for comment.
