NEW DELHI, August 12 (RIA Novosti) – Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi sharply criticized neighboring Pakistan for continuing its proxy war of terrorism against India.
"The neighboring country has lost the strength to fight a conventional war, but continues to engage in a proxy war of terrorism," Modi said on Tuesday while addressing soldiers at Leh.
Sending a strong message to Pakistan, Modi said that the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government will not compromise on the world's highest battlefield on the Siachen Glacier.
The Siachen Glacier is important to India for strategic reasons, with the northwestern region of Kashmir, occupied by Pakistan and the Aksai Chin area under China's control on the other side.
Pakistan has been seeking demilitarization of the glacier as a confidence building measure, but India has opposed it due to the region's strategic importance. In 1984, India repelled the Pakistani army and gained control of the Siachen Glacier and its tributary glaciers.
While boosting the army's morale, Modi said India was committed to strong armed forces, well equipped with modern arms and technology. The Jawans should be assured that the entire country supports them, Modi stressed.
The prime minister promised the troops that a national war memorial would be built to inspire future generations of India, adding that the government was committed to making India self-reliant in defense manufacturing.
Modi also inaugurated the 349-kilometer (217-mile) long Leh-Srinagar transmission line.
"We are committed to Prakash, Paryavaran and Paryatan [light, environment, tourism], the three-P formula for Leh-Ladakh," Modi said while outlining his strategy for the development of the region.
"The country has been troubled by corruption in the last decade. There is no dearth of resources, but corruption has destroyed us. From this land of Ladakh, I assure the nation that we will wage war against corruption and those, who are from other parties and organizations and have been keen to curb corruption, will be taken along to strengthen the movement," India's prime minister said.
During his visit to the state of Jammu & Kashmi, Modi also announced special assistance of 8,000 rupees crore ($1.3 billion) for the construction of road projects in Jammu and Kashmir and also waived 60 rupees crore ($9.8 million) in debt.
Modi's visit to the region came ahead of local elections, where the prime minister hopes boost the prospects of his party BJP. The congress in Jammu and Kashmir is sharing the power with the National Conference and BJP is trying hard to woo the people of this state to firm up its standing.
