From LoC to LAC, World Has Seen What Our Soldiers Can Do: PM Modi's I-Day Warning to Pakistan and China

The Indian Army has given a befitting reply to those who challenged the country’s sovereignty “from LoC (Line of Control) to LAC (Line of Actual Control)", Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Saturday, in a subtle dig at Pakistan and China. In his seventh straight Independence Day speech at the Red Fort, Modi said the country is fighting terrorism as well as expansionism with determination.

Modi said respect for India’s sovereignty is supreme and that the world has seen in Ladakh what India’s soldiers can do to maintain this resolve. “I salute all those brave soldiers from the Red Fort. From LoC to LAC, anyone who casts an eye on the sovereignty of the country… the armed forces of the country have responded in the language they understand," he said.

Modi's comments came in the midst of India’s festering border row with China along the LAC and rising incidents of ceasefire violations along the LoC with Pakistan. Twenty Indian soldiers were killed in a violent clash with Chinese armies in Galwan Valley on June 15. The Chinese side also suffered casualties but is yet to give out the details.

In retaliation, India banned at least 59 apps, including the major video-sharing platform TikTok, and took other measures to freeze Chinese firms out of contracts and block its imports.

Modi said India respects its ties with neighbours, whether connected by land or sea, adding that relations with neighbours are now linked to "security, progress and trust".

"A neighbour isn't just someone who shares our geography but those who share our hearts. Where the relationship is respected, it becomes warmer," he said.

Noting that one-fourth of the world's population lives in South Asia, he said, “We can create untold possibilities of development and prosperity of such a large population with cooperation and participation. All leaders of the countries of this region have an important responsibility towards the development and progress of this huge mass group."

Modi said that the 1.4-million-strong Indian military would be built up. "India is just as committed to its security and strengthening its army as the attempts it has made for peace and harmony," he said, stressing upon efforts to make the country "self-reliant" in defence production.