Narendra Modi lashed out at Pakistan yesterday for “glorifying violence” and expressed support for disgruntled residents of troubled Pakistani regions, amid a rise in tensions between the nuclear-armed neighbours.
The Indian prime minister’s comments are the latest salvo in a fierce war of words between New Delhi and Islamabad over Kashmir. Tension erupted last month along with violent protests in the Muslim-majority Indian province, where 44,000 civilians, insurgents and troops have been killed since a separatist insurgency started in 1988.
The mention of restive Pakistani regions also reflects New Delhi’s growing unease over Chinese plans for $46bn worth of infrastructure projects in Pakistan, including in disputed parts of Kashmir now held by Islamabad but which India claims as its own.