Independence Day: Ties with Pakistan can’t improve if acts of terror continue:PM

Mangaloretoday/NDTV

New Delhi, Aug 15: In a strong message to Pakistan, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today said anti-India activities emanating from there will have to stop for relations to improve.

Addressing the nation on the 67th Independence Day from the ramparts of Red Fort, the Prime Minister asserted that India has strived for friendship with its neighbouring countries. "However, for relations with Pakistan to improve it is essential they prevent the use of their territory and territory under their control for any anti-India activity," he said.

Referring to the August 6 killing of five Indian soldiers by Pakistan Army in a cross-LoC attack in Poonch sector of Jammu and Kashmir as a "dastardly" act, he said "we will take all possible steps to prevent such incidents in the future."

Dr Singh, in his 10th consecutive Independence Day address and his last before the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, stressed  that there was a need to strengthen secular traditions to promote tolerance.

In his 30-minute speech, Dr Singh also appeared to target the BJP and Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi, saying there was no place for "narrow and sectarian ideologies" in modern,

progressive and secular India. "We should prevent them from growing," he said.

He warned such ideologies will "divide" society and "weaken our democracy".

 

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh warns narrow, sectarian ideologies will weaken democracy


In an apparent attack on BJP leader and Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today warned that "narrow and sectarian ideologies" would "weaken" the democracy and the country and they should be prevented from growing.

"There can be no place for narrow and sectarian ideologies in a modern, progressive and secular country.

Such ideologies divide our society and weaken our democracy. We should prevent them from growing," he said in his 10th consecutive speech on the Independence Day from the Red Fort.

In his 30-minute speech, Mr Singh did not make any direct reference to Mr Modi but apparently was referring to him indirectly.

The Prime Minister said there was a "need to strengthen those traditions of our country which teach us to promote tolerance and respect for thought processes different from ours."

"I would appeal to all political parties, all sections of our society and the public at large to work in this direction," he said.

Mr Singh said despite some worrisome communal incidents in 2012 and this year, "the last 9 years have been good for communal harmony".