Inviting Nawaz to oath-taking in 2014 was ‘gesture of goodwill’: Modi

KARACHI: Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has in a conversation with American podcaster Lex Fridman accused Pakistan of exporting terror, consistently thwarting attempts towards peace by India and waging a proxy war, saying that his invitation to former prime minister Nawaz Sharif to attend his May 2014 oath-taking ceremony was a “gesture of goodwill”.

Fridman hosts the Lex Fridman Podcast. The Modi episode was released on Sunday.

In his three-hour-long conversation with Fridman, the Indian prime minister spoke at length -- subjects spanning the length and breadth of his person and politics, from his early life to thoughts on Gandhi, Trump, India-Pakistan ties, India-China relations, the Gujarat riots, RSS and meditation.

The podcaster had specifically asked Modi about India’s ties with Pakistan. The Indian prime minister responded first with a short history lesson, saying: “Before 1947, during the struggle for Independence, everyone was fighting side by side, shoulder to shoulder. And the nation was eagerly waiting to celebrate the freedom, the joy of Independence. Now, we could have a lengthy discussion on what led to the events that unfolded. But the fact remains that the policymakers of the time agreed to India’s partition”.

He went on to say that there was agreement to the Muslim demand to “carve out a separate nation. With hearts weighed down by grief and silent tears, Indians embraced this painful reality”.

The history lesson by Modi then gets its own RSS treatment, the Indian PM seemingly suggesting that the Muslim side had resorted to violence during Partition: “However, what unfolded was an immediate, heartbreaking saga of bloodshed. Trains filled with bloodied, wounded people and corpses started arriving from Pakistan. It was a harrowing sight”.

Modi accused Pakistan of choosing “not to foster a harmonious coexistence. Time and again they decided to be at odds with India. They have waged a proxy war against [India”.

Claiming that Pakistan’s ideology “thrives on bloodshed and the export of terror”, Modi then went on to say that “wherever terror strikes in the world, the trail somehow leads to Pakistan. Let’s take the September 11 attacks for example. The mastermind behind it, Osama bin Laden, where did he eventually emerge? He took shelter in Pakistan, the world saw that. So in a way terrorism and the terrorist mindset are deeply rooted in Pakistan”.

He then said that Pakistan “stands as an epicentre of turmoil, not just for India, but for the world. And we have repeatedly asked them what good can come from this path? We have urged them to abandon the path of state-sponsored terrorism for good.”

Speaking of his May 2014 invitation to Nawaz Sharif, the Indian PM said, “It [invitation] was a gesture of goodwill. It was a diplomatic gesture unlike any in decades”, adding that “every noble attempt at fostering peace was met with hostility and betrayal”.

Modi concluded his Pakistan thoughts by saying that India hopes that Pakistan “chooses the path of peace” and that he believes that “even the people of Pakistan long for peace because they must be weary of living in strife and unrest”.