BackIndia has never coveted any country’s land: Narendra Modi
Speaking at Pravasi Bharatiya Kendra summit, Narendra Modi says respect for humanity was ingrained in India's actions, something that had been recognized the world over
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New Delhi: Underlining India’s core principles of humanity and peace, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Sunday—the birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi—that India has never coveted the territory of other countries, or attacked another nation.
Speaking at the inauguration of the Pravasi Bharatiya Kendra (Centre for Overseas Indians) in New Delhi, the Prime Minister noted that respect for humanity was ingrained in India’s actions, something that had been recognized the world over.
“India has never coveted territory, never attacked another country; yet thousands of Indians gave their lives in the 1st world war," said an Indian foreign ministry post on Twitter quoting the Prime Minister.
“Humanity is a principal inspiration for us, & the world has acknowledged this not only due to our heritage but on account of our actions," said another tweet.
Modi’s comments came days after India launched surgical strikes against terrorist launch pads in Pakistan-controlled Kashmir.
Also Read: Understanding the Modi way of doing things
The Indian action followed a terrorist attack on an Indian army garrison in Uri on 18 September in which 19 soldiers were killed.
India said the attack was carried out by the Pakistan based Jaish-e-Mohammed terrorist group.
In recent months, India has been underscoring the fact that it does not claim the territory of other countries to drive home the difference between it and Pakistan, which claims the whole of Kashmir.
External affairs minister Sushma Swaraj, in her speech to the UN General Assembly session in New York on 26 September, had said that Pakistan was resorting to terrorism against India in the belief that “such attacks will enable it to obtain the territory it covets".
“My firm advice to Pakistan is: abandon this dream. Let me state unequivocally that Jammu and Kashmir is an integral part of India and will always remain so," she said.
Swaraj’s remarks were in response to Pakistan prime minister Nawaz Sharif, who, in his address at the General Assembly, had described the unrest in Jammu and Kashmir as a “spontaneous uprising of the people".
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