Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has stated on Friday that Pakistan seeks to maintain its relevance through “terrorism” and “proxy war,” but its “unholy plans” will inevitably fail.
The nuclear-armed South Asian neighbours have a tense relationship, with India accusing Pakistan for decades of supporting Islamist militants fighting its control over Kashmir, a region both countries claim entirely but only partially govern.
Pakistan refutes these accusations, claiming it only offers diplomatic and moral support to Kashmiris striving for self-determination in the Muslim-majority area.
Modi’s remarks were made during an event commemorating the 25th anniversary of India’s brief military conflict with Pakistan in the Kargil region of the Himalayas. The two rivals have fought three wars, two of which were over Kashmir.
His comments also follow a series of militant attacks in the Jammu region of Jammu and Kashmir, with nearly a dozen Indian soldiers killed this year.
Modi stated that Pakistan faces humiliation whenever it attempts to advance its plans but has “not learned anything from its history.”
He declared, “I want to tell these patrons of terrorism that their unholy plans will never be successful…Our brave forces will squash terrorism, and the enemy will receive a fitting response.”
Pakistan’s foreign ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
India-Pakistan relations have largely been at a standstill since both countries downgraded their diplomatic ties in August 2019, following New Delhi’s revocation of Kashmir’s special status and its division into two federally administered territories.
Tensions escalated further after a suicide bombing of an Indian military convoy in Kashmir was linked to Pakistan-based militants, leading India to conduct an airstrike on what it claimed was a militant base in Pakistan.
Earlier this year, Pakistan alleged credible evidence linked Indian agents to killings on its soil, accusations that India dismissed as “fake.”
Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar stated last month that India seeks a solution to cross-border terrorism, which “cannot be the policy of a good neighbour.”
NANCY MBAMALU
Source: Reuters
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