Uri terror attack: Narendra Modi calls Pakistan as Asia's lone terror hub

Kozhikode: Prime Minister Narendra Modi called Pakistan “Asia’s lone terror hub”, and vowed to mount a global campaign to isolate the country, warning its leadership that the September 18 Uri attack in Kashmir will not be forgotten.

“Desh me aakrosh ka mahaul hai... terrorists our neighbour exported killed our 18 jawans. Their sacrifice will not go in vain,” Mr Modi said in his sharpest and most direct attack on Pakistan as Prime Minister.

He was addressing a public meeting attended by lakhs of BJP workers at Kozhikode, a coastal town in Kerala, which is hosting a meeting of the ruling BJP’s highest policy-making body.

“I accept this challenge from Pakistan’s leaders for 1,000 years. I want to tell you that India wants to fight. If you have the courage, why not fight to end poverty, unemployment, illiteracy? Let’s see who wins,” the Prime Minister said.

It was his first public address after Pakistan-backed terrorists attacked an Army base in north Kashmir’s Uri on Sunday, triggering calls for a strong retaliatory action by India and heightened tension between the N-armed neighbours. India is exporting engineers all over the world, whereas Islamabad is exporting terrorists, the PM said.

110 terrorists killed in 4 months: Narendra Modi
“Wherever terrorism is happening across Asia, the affected nations are blaming it on only one nation. Whenever news about terrorism comes, news also comes that the terrorist came from there. Only one country in Asia is a safe haven for terrorists,” the PM said.

“There is one nation in Asia which is working toward ensuring that the 21st century does not belong to Asia,” he said, mocking Pakistan for raking up Kashmir while being unable to manage its own restive territories such as PoK, Gilgit and Balochistan. The PM said India’s security forces foiled 17 fidayeen attempts Pakistan, and killed 110 terrorists in the last four months. “You can imagine what would have happened if our neighbour was successful in the other 17 attempts,” he said.

Mr Modi said India has succeeded in isolating Pakistan diplomatically, and will intensify its efforts to further expose it and force its leadership “to live alone in the world”. “A day will come when the people of Pakistan will go against their own government to fight terrorism,” he said.

He assured the countrymen that India was safe and 125 crore people take pride in valour and bravery of its soldiers and security personnel. Modi said, “Pakistan's public should ask its leaders as to why despite getting Independence together what is the reason India exports software and Pakistan exports terrorism.”