PM Modi on Sunday said that every attempt to promote peace with Pakistan has been met with hostility and betrayal, and he hopes that wisdom will prevail on the leadership in Islamabad to repair bilateral relations, PTI reported.
In a podcast with Lex Fridman which aired on Sunday, PM Modi recalled that he had personally invited his Pakistani counterpart Nawaz Sharif to his swearing-in ceremony back in 2014 in the hopes that the two countries could turn a page.
“Yet, every noble attempt at fostering peace was met with hostility and betrayal. We sincerely hope that wisdom prevails upon them and they choose the path of peace,” the prime minister said in his over three-hour interaction, PTI reported.
PM Modi stated that he believes the people of Pakistan long for peace because they are tired of living in strife, unrest, and constant fear, where innocent children are slain and countless lives are destroyed.
The Prime Minister described his first move to improve bilateral relations as a gesture of goodwill, PTI reported.
“It was a diplomatic gesture unlike any in decades. The very people who once questioned my approach to foreign policy were taken aback when they learned I had invited all SAARC heads of state and our then President Pranab Mukherjee beautifully captured that historic gesture in his memoir,” PM Modi said.
“This was a testament to how clear and confident India`s foreign policy had become. This sent a clear message to the world about India`s commitment to peace and harmony, but we didn`t get the desired outcome,” he said, PTI reported.
India slams Pakistan for `unjustified` reference to Jammu and Kashmir in UNGA
India has slammed Pakistan for its “unjustified” reference to Jammu and Kashmir in the UN General Assembly, with New Delhi asserting that such remarks will neither validate the country`s claim nor justify its practice of cross-border terrorism.
“As is their habit, the former foreign secretary of Pakistan today has made an unjustified reference to the Indian Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir,” India`s Permanent Representative to the UN, Ambassador P Harish, said in remarks on Friday in the General Assembly at the informal meeting of the plenary to commemorate the International Day to combat Islamophobia.
Harish said frequent references by Pakistan will “neither validate their claim nor justify their practice of cross-border terrorism”. “The fanatical mindset of this nation is well known, as also its record of bigotry. Such efforts will not change the reality that Jammu and Kashmir was, is and will always be an integral part of India,” he said.
(With agency inputs)
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