NEW DELHI: Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on a second visit to Jammu and Kashmir on Tuesday condemned the “continuing proxy war by Pakistan”, reports from Leh said.

They said Mr Modi’s plan to visit the Siachen Glacier was aimed to send a strong signal to Pakistan about its importance to India.

Addressing soldiers at Leh, Mr Modi said the “neighbouring country has lost the strength to fight a conventional war, but continues to engage in proxy war of terrorism”.

His comments came a day after a Border Security Force convoy was ambushed near Srinagar by suspected militants, injuring seven troopers. There were reports of sporadic breach of ceasefire along the LoC.

The prime minister says his government is committed to making India self-reliant in defence manufacturing

Mr Modi said that Indian military was suffering more casualties from terrorism than from war.

He recalled the Kargil war and said the armed forces deployed in border areas were well-connected with the people living there.

He highlighted the example of Kargil infiltration, about which “first information was given to our armed forces by a shepherd named Tashi Namgyal”.

India, he said, defeated Pakistani infiltrators in the 1999 Kargil war.

Mr Modi said the government was committed to making India self-reliant in defence manufacturing.

The prime minister spoke of the provisions made in the budget towards modernisation and welfare of the armed forces, including ‘One Rank One Pension’.

He also promised that the National War Memorial would be built and would inspire future generations of Indians.

This is Mr Modi’s second visit to Jammu and Kashmir after becoming the prime minister in May. During his first visit, he had inaugurated Udhampur-Katra railway line and Uri-II hydroelectric project in Baramulla district.

Meanwhile, Chief of the Army Staff General Dalbir Singh Suhag visited on Aug 10 the world’s highest battlefield Siachen in Jammu and Kashmir, where he extensively interacted with the jawans and officers of 14 Corps. This was Gen Suhag’s first visit to Siachen after taking over as army chief.

Published in Dawn, Aug 13th, 2014