CAPTAIN MODI OUTPLAYED IMRAN AT UNGA
Prime Minister Narendra Modi emerged as a leader with a vision not only for India but the entire world, while Pakistan PM Imran Khan Niazi came across as mean-spirited, desperate and unhinged.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s speech at the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) this week enhanced his statesmanship apart from boosting India’s stature on the world stage. Ever since the beginning of the UN session, there was speculation as to how PM Modi would articulate his views at the UNGA, especially in the wake of Pakistan’s attempts to internationalise the Kashmir issue. Comparisons were being made between PM Modi and his Pakistani counterpart Imran Khan Niazi ever since the beginning of their US visit—right from how they were received at the airport to how their views were taken by the audience.
In the end, PM Modi emerged as a tall leader with a vision not only for India but the entire world, while Imran Khan Niazi looked petty, mean, desperate and unhinged. He came across as obsessed, not with the truth about his own country Pakistan, but with India and PM Modi, spitting nuclear-laced venom in front of the august gathering.
While Imran Khan Niazi’s speech was full of hatred and war hysteria, the focus of PM Modi’s speech was peace, harmony and development. The Indian PM’S statement that “India has given ‘Buddha’ and not ‘Yuddha’ (war)”, was widely appreciated by world leaders. On the other hand, Imran’s speech was full of words like “bloodbath”, “war”, “killing”, “bomb”, “gun”, “nuclear weapons”, etc.
In fact, India, while exercising its right to reply to the statements made by Khan, questioned the use of such words. First Secretary in India’s Permanent Mission to the UN, Vidisha Maitra, said: “Words matter in diplomacy. Invocation of phrases such as ‘pogrom’, ‘bloodbath’, ‘racial superiority’, ‘pick up the gun’ and ‘fight to the end’ reflect a medieval mindset and not a 21st century vision.”
Moreover, as soon as PM Modi finished speaking, he was surrounded with visitors and delegates to compliment him. His speech found acceptance among leaders of other countries. The PM of Greece, President of Mauritius and the PM of Singapore also referred to his remarks when they met backstage.
Observers say that PM Modi refused to get into the expected “you versus me” debate on Kashmir. “He was very clear that there would be no compromise on Kashmir and that being a global forum like the UN, his speech should focus on the positive development trajectory of India and its 130 crore people,” said an observer. Speaking to The Sunday Guardian, Kanwal Sibal, a career diplomat who retired as India’s Foreign Secretary, said: “Narendra Modi’s speech at the UN General Assembly and that of Imran Khan was a study in contrast. Modi’s was dignified, mature, statesmanlike, focusing on the big picture, reflecting India’s aspirations, its social goals, the leadership role that India sees for itself as we grow in stature, India’s responsiveness to contemporary concerns of the international community. There was no discordant note. His message was of peace and harmony, deriving from India’s traditions and its civilisation. His remarks were relevant to the agenda of the UNGA, that of climate change, Millennium Development Goals, universal healthcare, terrorism, multilateralism. He rightly ignored Pakistan.”
On the other hand, Imran Khan Niazi was aggressive, abusive, undignified, hateful, out of tune with the purposes and principles of the UN Charter. “He presented Pakistan as a victim of the West and India. He made personal attacks against Modi. He sounded like a small town preacher addressing an ignorant audience. He instigated the Kashmiris to rise against the Constitutional changes in Jammu & Kashmir, prodded the Muslims of India as whole to react violently and incited a religious war against India by 1.3 billion Muslims worldwide. He justified jihad and expressed