Wars fought on borders & within nation too, says PM

New Delhi, July 26: Hailing the valour of the armed forces during the Kargil war, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday asked people to speak and act keeping in mind the morale of soldiers and asserted that wars are fought not just on borders but on many fronts within the country too.

In his monthly Mann ki Baat address, which coincided with the 21st anniversary of Kargil Vijay Diwas, the PM also hit out at Pakistan for the conflict and said Islamabad responded to New Delhi’s hand of friendship by stabbing it in the back.

“People bound by a thread of unity with the mantra that the nation is above everything else bolster the strength of our soldiers more than a thousand times,” he said.

Mr Modi recalled the late A.B. Vajpayee’s Independence Day speech after the Kargil war and said it is relevant even today. India can never forget the circumstances under which the conflict took place, he stressed.

“Pakistan had embarked upon this misadventure, nursing delusions of encroaching upon Indian soil, to distract attention from the internal strife prevailing there. India was then in the process of making efforts to foster good ties with Pakistan,” he said.

The PM also said when India extended a hand of friendship, Pakistan tried to respond, “stabbing in the back”.

In an indirect warning to China, without naming it, he said it is in some people’s nature to keep becoming enemies.

Referring to an old saying, he said, “To the wicked, enmity with one and all for no reason comes naturally. People with such a disposition keep thinking of harming even their wellwishers.”