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 Making his second visit since his election triumph in May to the
northern region - whose territory has been disputed since a war
between India and Pakistan that followed their independence in 1947
- Modi vowed to strengthen India's armed forces.
"The neighboring country has lost the strength to fight a
conventional war but continues to engage in the proxy war of
terrorism," Modi told officers and men from the army and air force
in the Himalayan region of Leh.
The Hindu nationalist politician was elected by a landslide on
promises to restore India's economic and military prowess and meet
the security challenge posed by a rising China and long-running
tension with Pakistan.
Yet he surprised many observers by inviting South Asian leaders -
including Pakistan's Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif - to his
inauguration in a bid to bolster neglected regional ties.
There are regular clashes on the Line of Control that divides
Indian- and Pakistan-controlled Kashmir, however, and Modi has made
it clear that bilateral dialogue depends on the guns falling silent.
Modi, whose speech to troops in Leh was televised, did not give any
details of Pakistan's "proxy war" but India has for years complained
that Pakistan backs separatist militants who slip in from
Pakistani-controlled Kashmir to stage attacks.
Pakistan says it only gives political support to the Muslim people
of Kashmir who it says face human rights abuses at the hands of
Indian troops. India denies that.
MORE DEFENSE SPENDING
India also wants faster prosecution of Pakistan-based militants
accused of plotting the 2008 attacks on its financial capital,
Mumbai, in which 166 people were killed. Pakistan says it is all it
can to act against those against whom there is evidence.
In a second speaking stop, Modi went to Kargil, the scene of an
undeclared war in 1999 when Pakistani troops infiltrated
Indian-controlled Kashmir without the knowledge of Sharif, who was
prime minister at the time.
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"The patriotism of the people of Kargil inspires the people of
India. I bow to this land and to the people," Modi said, paying
homage to his political mentor Atal Bihari Vajpayee who was premier
during the Kargil conflict.
In his government's maiden budget last month, Modi boosted defense
spending by 12 percent in 2014-15 over the previous year, when it
was held at 2.04 trillion rupees ($33.35 billion dollar).
Sharif has made improving relations with India a cornerstone of his
policy, yet Pakistan's powerful military and security establishment
is less keen to do so, also seeking to assert its primacy in
external affairs.
Sharif, meanwhile, faces a challenge from dissident cleric Tahir
ul-Qadri who aims to topple his government and has announced that
his followers would stage a major demonstration in Islamabad on
Thursday.
Another anti-government protest will be led in Pakistan on the same
day by opposition leader Imran Khan who is demanding electoral
reforms and an investigation into last year's polls, which Sharif
won in a landslide victory.
(1 US dollar = 61.1700 Indian rupee)
(Writing by Rupam Jain Nair; Editing by Douglas Busvine and Robert
Birsel)
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