On his second visit to Jammu and Kashmir after taking over as Prime Minister in May, Narendra Modi on Tuesday fired his first salvo at Pakistan, slamming the neighbouring country for engaging in a “proxy war of terrorism”.
“India has lost more men in this proxy war than in any regular war,” Mr. Modi said at a gathering of Army and Air Force personnel at Leh’s Rimpoche auditorium.
He praised the Indian armed forces for their sacrifices to uphold the sovereignty and integrity of the country and made a special reference to the Kargil war of 1999.
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“The neighbouring country has lost the strength to fight a conventional war, but continues to engage in the proxy war of terrorism,” he said on his maiden visit to Ladakh.
Mr. Modi did not visit the Siachen Glacier, contrary to speculation in the media after Army Chief General Dalbir Singh’s recent two-day visit. Official sources told The Hindu that a visit to Siachen was not in Mr. Modi’s itinerary finalised last weekend. The Prime Minister earlier visited Jammu and Kashmir on July 4.