Aizaz called on the Indian High Commissioner to Islamabad and handed over a letter addressed to Jaishankar highlighting the global obligations of Pakistan and India with regards to resolving the Kashmir dispute in accordance with United Nations Security Council resolutions, said Pak Foriegn Office spokesman Nafees Zakaria.
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“What kind of life is this, inspired by terrorism?”
The tradition of delivering the annual address from the steps of the 17th-century Red Fort from where Mughal kings ruled Delhi for two centuries dates back to first prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru’s historic “tryst with destiny” speech on the eve of Aug 15, 1947, when India celebrated its first Independence Day.
“If Pakistan thinks it has the right to speak on Kashmir, then we also have the right to speak about the situation of people in Pakistan Occupied Kashmir”.
Terming as “absurd” Pakistan’s proposal of sending supplies to Jammu and Kashmir, India had on Sunday strongly retorted that it, along with others in the region, has already received enough of “trademark exports” from that country, including terrorism and infiltrators.
“From the ramparts of the Red Fort, I want to express my gratitude to some people – the people of Balochistan, Gilgit and Pak-occupied Kashmir (PoK) – for the way they whole- heartedly thanked me, the way they expressed gratitude to me, the way they conveyed their goodwill to me recently”, PM Modi said.
“All those who are killing innocents… Return to the mainstream”.
He explained how certain shortcomings were hindering India’s progress and urged people to fight against such practices and strengthen social harmony. Social evils will have to be dealt with “sternly” and with “sensitivity” as survival of the society is impossible if there is no social unity.
Giving the “reform, perform and transform” slogan in his third Independence Day address, Modi said the government has to be sensitive, responsible, accountable, transparent and efficient to complete the journey from “Swarajya” (self- governance) to “Suraj” (good governance). India’s GDP expanded 7.6 percent in 2015-16, making it the fastest-growing major economy in the world and outpacing its rival China’s growth rate. “As India is aspiring to be a permanent member of the UN Security Council, I think Mr. Narendra Modi has proven that they deserve that seat because India as a regional power should acknowledge the issues happening in his neigbourhood”. “We did not let it rise above 6%”, he said.
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Prime minister said the just passed legislation on Goods and Services Tax (GST), which will replace a raft of different central and state levies, will strengthen growth efforts and make economy more predictable. He thanked all political parties for the passage of the relevant bill to initiate the process. “One nation, one grid and one price is what we have worked on”.
