PM Modi skips Pakistan in UNGA address; it’s a first for India in 8 years

The only time India omitted Pakistan from its speech in the last decade was in 2011.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi skipped any reference to Pakistan in his address to the United Nations General Assembly on Friday and underlined that the only message from the world’s largest democracy to the general assembly was one of “harmony and peace”.

PM Narendra Modi addresses the 74th session of the United Nations General Assembly at U.N. headquarters in New York, U.S., September 27, 2019.(Reuters photo)

PM Modi’s speech covered diverse issues such as climate change, sustainable development goals and assistance for small islands, a sharp contrast to the one that his Pakistan counterpart Imran Khan has promised to deliver that will focus on Kashmir “like never before”.

Watch | PM Modi at UNGA: Harmony, peace is our message not dissension

 

This is the first time that Pakistan has not been mentioned in an Indian address — by the prime minister or the external affairs minister — in the General Assembly address in eight years. The only time India omitted Pakistan from its speech in the last decade was in 2011.

Pakistan figured 10 times in 2010, five times in 2013, five times in 2014 and three, six, 15 and 12 times over the next four years.

PM Modi, however, did get his message across. He spoke in some detail about terrorism, reminding the world leaders that the lack of unanimity among them was hurting everyone.

“We believe terrorism is one of the biggest challenges, not for any single country, but for the entire world and humanity,” Narendra Modi said.

India’s “voice against terrorism to alert the world about its evil rings with seriousness and outrage,” he said.