Our fight is for Kashmir, not against Kashmiris, says Modi

Tonk (Rajasthan): Breaking his silence, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday disapproved of the attacks on Kashmiris in some parts of the country in the aftermath of the Pulwama attack and underlined that “our fight is for Kashmir, not against Kashmiris”, who too are victims of the scourge of terrorism.

Addressing a rally in Rajasthan’s Tonk, Mr Modi also threw a challenge to his Pakistani counterpart Imran Khan, asking him to bring to justice those responsible for the Pulwama terror attack and put into practice his promise.

Recalling his conversation with Mr Khan on phone after his election, Mr Modi said, “I told him there have been plenty of fights between India and Pakistan. Pakistan got nothing. Everytime, we won. I told him, let us fight against poverty and illiteracy. He told me, ‘Modiji, I am the son of a Pathan. I speak true and I do true’. The time has come for him to stand true to his words.”

Pathans, an ethnic group with roots in Iran, are known for their deep sense of honour and self-respect.

The Prime Minister asserted that the enemies of humanity must be  “taught a lesson” and that he is engaged in ensuring that Pakistan is isolated globally.

He referred to the mood of “veer ras” (bravery and heroism) in the country after the Pulwama attack, particularly mentioning social media.

“But our fight is against terrorism, against the enemies of humanity. Our fight is for Kashmir, not against Kashmir, not against the Kashmiris,” he added.

Denouncing attacks on Kashmiris in the wake of Pulwama terror attack, he said that the Kashmiri youth are also troubled by terrorism and are ready to fight against it. “We need to keep them with us.”

“If we want to win the fight, we should not make mistakes. A terrorist is a terrorist and the Kashmiri people are also facing trouble due to terrorism,” he said, accusing the previous governments of not fulfilling their aspirations.

Mr Modi broke his silence on the attacks on Kashmiris a day after the Supreme Court directed the Centre, state chief secretaries and police chiefs to take “prompt action” to prevent incidents of “assault, threat, social boycott and such other egregious acts” against Kashmiris, including students, and other minorities.

Former chief minister and vice president of National Conference (NC) Omar Abdullah welcomed the Prime Minister’s statement. He tweeted, “Thank you  Sahib. Aaj aap ne hamaray dil ki baat keh di (today you have said our heart’s talk).

In another tweet, he said, “It’s been a more than a week since the terrible attack in Pulwama & more than a week that Kashmiris have been bearing the brunt of the public anger. Perhaps finally after PM Sb has spoken these forces targeting Kashmiris will stop in their tracks.”

Mr Modi also declared that Pakistan will be made to account for everything and that the “terror factory” will be shut by him.

Assuring a suitable response on the Pulwama attack, the Prime Minister reiterated that the security forces have been given “complete freedom” (to retaliate).

“Have faith in our soldiers deployed on the border, in the Modi government and on Maa Bhawani’s blessings,” he said.

“The scores will be settled this time, settled for good (Iss baar hisaab hoga, hisaab poora hoga),” he said.

Attacking political rivals, Mr Modi said he feels sad about “a handful of people who live in India and speak the language of Pakistan”.

He said incidents like the Pulwama attack give strength to those who chant “Bharat tere tukde honge”, referring to slogans calling for the breakup of the country.

He said these are the people who go to Pakistan, saying “do anything but remove Modi”.

“They are those who failed to show courage against the perpetrators of the Mumbai terror attack,” he said, in an indirect attack on the Congress-led UPA.