PM Narendra Modi extends New Year wishes to neighbouring nations, skips Pakistan

New Delhi : Prime Minister Narendra Modi dialed a number of leaders heading the neighbouring nations to extend his greetings on the start of the New Year 2020. But, he skipped the call to Pakistan PM Imran Khan. In his conversation with the prominent leaders of Bhutan, Sri Lanka, the Maldives, Bangladesh and Nepal, PM Modi focused on the "vision of shared peace, security, prosperity and progress for all of India's friends and partners in the region", the government said in a statement.

Last year in February 14, a suicide bomber from a Pakistan-based terror group – Jaish-e-Mohammad had killed more than 40 Indian soldiers in Pulwama. Days after India conducted an air strike on the Balakot region to wipe out terror camps.

In the following months, Pakistan tried several alternate ways to go for a dialogue and also tried to raise the issue on the international platforms, but failed everytime. India reiterated its stance that talks and terror cannot go hand in hand.

Yesterday, General MM Naravane, the new Army chief, took a tough line on Pakistan and the terror it sponsors, saying in such situations, "We reserve the right to pre-emptively strike at sources of terror".

According to the information provided by the government, Prime Minister Narendra Modi assured Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa that the ties with them will be enhanced. He also congratulated his Bangladeshi counterpart Sheikh Hasina on her re-election as the chief of the Awami League for three years.