Published 12:19 IST, September 28th 2019
UNGA: PM Modi's Pak mentions vs Imran's India mentions - in numbers
PM Modi, in his speech at UNGA, spoke about growth, development and peace and harmony, whereas Imran Khan spoke about terror, mentioning 'India' 16 times
Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan on Friday delivered his speech at the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) which was focused mainly on Kashmir and India. In fact, his focus on India was extreme as he mentioned the word 'India' on 16 occasions in his 50-minute long speech. On the contrary, his counterpart from India, Narendra Modi did not say the word 'Pakistan' at all.
Major goof-ups
Khan did not seem stable during his speech at the UN and made as many as 21 goof-ups in his address. He also exceeded the time limit allotted to all members by more than double, with the red indicator blinking for a long time. Khan started a rant explaining how India had committed atrocities on minorities in Kashmir, bur conveniently ignoring the crimes committed by its ally China on the Muslims. Khan was also sexist during his speech, trying to talk about Islamophobia with an absurd analogy. He said, "Islamophobia is creating divisions, hijab is becoming a weapon; a woman can take off clothes but she can't put on more clothes. It started after 9/11 and it started because certain western leaders equated Islam with terrorism."
Khan also said that if the tensions between the two countries continue, it could lead to a war-like situation, later referring to the standoff post the Pulwama terror attack. Khan also raised fears amongst the Kashmiris saying that there will be 'bloodbath' when the curfew is raised. He also mentioned RSS 10 times, Modi 12 times and Kashmir 21 times in his speech.
PM Modi's global outlook
Prime Minister Modi, on the other hand, in his speech had a global outlook and said that India believes in peace and not war. He also mentioned the achievements of the government over the last five years and also the number and manner of the contribution of India and its citizens towards the world. The PM said, “When a developing country is able to successfully implement the world’s biggest sanitation campaign within the Clean India Mission, building over 110 million toilets in just 5 years for its countrymen, all its achievements and outcomes are an inspirational message for the entire world." He added, "The largest number of supreme sacrifices made by soldiers of any country for UN peacekeeping missions is from India. We belong to a country that has given the world, not war, but Buddha’s message of peace.”
Modi also said that India gave the world 'buddha, and not 'yuddh'. He concluded the speech with wishing for peace and harmony and not dissension.
Updated 19:10 IST, September 28th 2019