India has never considered war first option but last resort; we believe in peace: PM Modi

India has always viewed war as the last resort but the armed forces have the strength and strategies to give a befitting reply to anyone who casts an evil eye on the nation Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on MondayAddressing the armed forces here on Diwali the prime minister also recalled his visit to this frontier region in the aftermath of the Kargil conflict in 1999 when the Indian military had crushed the hood of terrorThere has not been a single war with Pakistan when Kargil has not flown the victory flag he said adding that Diwali symbolised the celebration of the end of terrorI have witnessed the Kargil war closely It was my duty that had brought me to Kargil back then There are many memories of that time when the sounds of victory were reverberating all around PM Modi said continuing with the tradition set by him to celebrate Diwali at the countrys frontiersIn Kargil our armed forces had crushed the hood of terror and people still remember the Diwali that was celebrated back then he saidAlso Read Diwali 2022 President Murmu PM Modi Rahul Gandhi and others extend greetingsHe said over the last eight years the government has worked on implementing reforms in the armed forces by deploying new technologies developing infrastructure in border areas and opening up positions for women in the forcesThe induction of women in the armed forces will boost our strength PM Modi said and added that reforms in the armed forces that were required for decades are now being implementedThe prime minister said a nation is safe when its borders are secure economy strong and society full of confidenceIndia has been dealing with its enemies both external and internal with force PM Modi said and recounted the steps taken to uproot the terror naxalism and extremism from within the countryHe said India has never viewed war as the first option We have always seen war as the final resort We are in favour of global peace But peace cannot be achieved without strength PM Modi saidOur armed forces have the strategies as well as the strength If anyone dares cast an evil eye on us our three armed forces know very well how to give a befitting reply the prime minister saidPrime Minister Modi also said that Aatmanirbhar Bharat most important to the nations security and the countrys dependence should be minimal on foreign weapons and systemsSince coming to power in 2014 Modi has been visiting different military facilities to celebrate DiwaliIn 2014 the prime minister had celebrated the festival of lights with soldiers at the Siachen Glacier In the following year on the 50th anniversary of the 1965 war with Pakistan Modi visited three memorials in Punjab where the Indian armed forces had fought pitched battles that proved to be key to the countrys victoryIn 2016 the prime minister travelled to Himachal Pradesh to meet personnel of the IndoTibetan Border Police ITBP the Dogra Scouts and the army at Sumdoh near the China borderPM Modi in 2017 was in the Gurez sector in north Kashmir while in 2018 he celebrated Diwali in Harsil in Uttarakhand which was followed by a visit to KedarnathAfter being reelected to the high office in 2019 Modi celebrated Diwali in Rajouri in Jammu and Kashmir In 2020 he was at a border post of Longewala on Diwali while last year he was in NowsheraThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever