NEW DELHI: On the occassion of Kargil Vijay Diwas, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Friday that Pakistan had not learned any lessons from its past and was trying to stay relevant through 'terrorism and proxy war.'
Kargil Vijay Diwas, observed annually on July 26, commemorates the success of Operation Vijay in 1999. During this operation, the Indian forces successfully reclaimed strategic positions in the Kargil sector of Jammu and Kashmir that had been infiltrated by Pakistani soldiers and terrorists.
PM Modi was speaking in the Himalayan region of Kargil, where he paid tribute to the bravehearts`. Here are his key quotes:
Kargil win a victory of 1.40 crore Indians, says PM Modi
PM Modi said that Pakistan is trying to remain relevant through terror and proxy war but it has faced defeat whenever it has carried out any misadventure.
"Today, I am speaking from a place where masters of terror can hear my voice directly. I want to tell patrons of terrorism that their nefarious designs will never succeed. Our bravehearts will crush terrorism and enemy will be given a befitting response," he asserted.
"In Kargil, we not only won the war, we gave a wonderful example of truth, restraint and strength," he added. Notably, PM's remarks come in the backdrop of surge in terror incidents in Jammu region.
The aim of Agnipath is to keep the armies continuously fit for war: PM Modi
Agnipath scheme is an example of the necessary reforms done by the Army, PM Modi said in Kargil. "For decades, there have been discussions on making the armed forces young, from Parliament to various committees. The average age of Indian soldiers being higher than the global average has been raising concerns. Therefore, this topic was raised in many committees for years. But the will to solve this challenge related to the country's security was not shown earlier. The country has addressed this concern through the Agnipath scheme."
"The aim of Agnipath is to keep the armies continuously fit for war. Unfortunately, some people have made such a sensitive topic related to national security a subject of politics. Some people are doing politics of lies in their personal interest even on this reform of the army. These are the same people who weakened our forces by running scams worth thousands of crores in the forces," he said.
"Some people are also spreading a misconception that the government came up with this scheme to save pension money. I want to ask such people, the question of pension for today's recruitment will arise after 30 years. Why would the government take a decision for it today? We would have left that to the governments, but we have respected this decision taken by the forces because for us, the security of the country is paramount, not politics," PM Modi added.