Prime Minister Narendra Modi yesterday said the sacrifices of 18 soldiers killed in the Uri terror attack will not go in vain.
Addressing a public meeting  as part of the Bharatiya Janata Party’s national council meeting, Modi said there was a sense of anger among the people of India over the September 18 Uri terror attack and the deaths of soldiers.
Referring to remarks of former Pakistani leaders of fighting a 1,000 year war with India, Modi said: “There is a government in Delhi today which is ready to accept the challenge.”
“I want to tell the people of Pakistan – India is ready to fight you,” Modi said, adding that the two countries should fight against poverty, unemployment and illiteracy – “let’s see who wins.”
In a dig at Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif for his address at the UN General Assembly, Modi said: “Today’s rulers were reading a speech of patrons of terrorism and talking of Kashmir.”
His reference was to the wide belief in New Delhi that Sharif’s UN speech was written by Rawalpindi, the Pakistan army headquarters.
“Rulers of Pakistan listen, the sacrifice of 18 soldiers will not go waste. India has been successful in isolating you. We will force you to be left alone in the world. That day is not far when people of Pakistan will take to the streets to fight against the rulers and fight terrorism,” Modi said.
The prime minister spent a large part of his forceful speech on the issue of terrorism with specific reference to the Uri incident.
“India has never bowed before terrorism; will not do so. We will defeat terrorism,” Modi said.
In a direct attack on terrorists, Modi said they should heed his words that India will not forget the sacrifice of the soldiers killed in the Uri attack.
Modi also said the army and security forces had foiled 17 recent attempts by terrorists to infiltrate.
He said: “Only one country is exporting terrorism in all directions.”
He said rulers of Pakistan were misguiding people in the name of Kashmir.
Modi said he wanted to remind the people of Pakistan that before partition in 1947, their forefathers also considered this land as their own.
“I want to speak to the people of Pakistan. I want to remind them that before 1947 your forefathers too used to consider this country as your motherland. Keeping that in mind I want to ask a few things.”
He said both countries became independent at the same time. “So how is it that India exports software, but you export terrorists.”
He said that terrorism is affecting India’s neighbours, including Afghanistan and Bangladesh.
“In the world when reports of terrorism come, then this news also follows that the terrorists came from that country, or like Osama bin Laden, have found a hideout there.”
He said Indian forces were giving befitting reply to all terror acts.
Earlier in the day, the prime minister met the chiefs of the army and air force and vice chief of the navy in New Delhi.
Officials said the meeting was “routine.”
The meeting was attended by Army Chief General Dalbir Singh, Air Chief Marshal Arup Raha and Vice Chief of Naval Staff Vice Admiral Karambir Singh. Navy chief Admiral Sunil Lanba is not in Delhi.
There have been a series of high-level meetings in the government following the Uri attack.