India not working to isolate Pakistan, claims Modi

The Indian prime minister invites Islamabad to join hands with New Delhi to fight poverty and disease

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said that to assume New Delhi’s foreign policy revolves around Pakistan would be a "grave injustice" to India, Times of India reported.



"India's foreign policy is based in the context of India. India's foreign policy is based in the context of its relations with the world. It is issue-based. Our foreign policy is not based around one nation and it shouldn't be," said Modi during an interview on Sunday.

Without naming any country but in a clear reference to Pakistan, he said India was not working to isolate one nation, but that "whoever takes a step against terrorism, I will welcome them and praise them."

"Humanity is in great danger and to save humanity, it is important for powers that believe in humanitarian values to unite. I believe this fight is about saving humanity and nothing can be a bigger soft power than this. You have to unite those who believe in humanitarian values, only then can you isolate terrorists and defeat terrorism," said Modi.

Modi also invited Pakistan to join hands with India to fight poverty and disease.

"If we fight together, we will win faster,” said Modi in a message for Pakistan and its people.

In 2016, days after a militant attack on a military base in Indian-occupied Kashmir, Modi had lashed out at Pakistan, threatening to isolate it in the world. At least 18 Indian military personnel were killed when four commando-style gunmen burst into the brigade headquarters near the Line of Control (LoC) in Uri sector.



Pakistan and India both claim Kashmir, and have fought two of their three wars over the Himalayan region, which they have disputed since partition and independence from British colonial rule in 1947.

 

This story originally appeared on The Times of India.