PM Talks Peace, Imran Cries War

Modi omits Pak in his address; rattled Khan rakes up Kashmir issue

- Gaurav C Sawant

IT WAS for the first time that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Pakistani counterpart Imran Khan were addressing a global platform as important as the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) on the same day. It was Modi’s second address and Khan’s first.

Modi, who spoke before Khan, invoked Buddha and his message of peace, exhorting the world to unite against terrorism, besides raising issues concerning a large number of countries. He didn’t name Pakistan even once in his 17-minute address.

On the other hand, a rattled Khan in his over 50minute speech, held out a nuclear war threat, mentioned India 17 times and Turn to Page 4 predicted a bloodbath in Kashmir, adding that millions of Indian Muslims will pick up arms if there was one. Khan mentioned Kashmir a staggering 25 times.

Modi laid out a roadmap for India's development in his speech in New York on Friday. Addressing the 74th session of the UNGA, the Prime Minister spoke of the biggest health care programme of the world, the Ayushman Bharat.

Describing terrorism as one of the biggest challenges for the world, Modi exhorted the international community to stand united against it. Modi lamented the lack of unanimity amongst the member states on the issue of terrorism, saying it dents those very principles, that are the basis for the creation of the United Nations.