“Trump better prepared for second term”
STATE TIMES NEWS
NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said that every attempt to foster peace with Pakistan was met with hostility and betrayal and hoped that wisdom would prevail on the leadership in Islamabad to improve bilateral ties.
In a podcast with Lex Fridman released on Sunday, Modi recalled that he had specially invited his Pakistan counterpart Nawaz Sharif for his swearing-in ceremony in 2014 with the hope that the two countries could turn a new leaf.
“Yet, every noble attempt at fostering peace was met with hostility and betrayal. We sincerely hope that wisdom prevails upon them and they choose the path of peace,” the prime minister said in his over three-hour interaction.
Modi said he believed that even the people of Pakistan long for peace because they also must be tired of living in strife, unrest and relentless terror where even innocent children are killed and countless lives are destroyed.
The prime minister said his first attempt at improving bilateral relations was a gesture of goodwill.
“It was a diplomatic gesture unlike any in decades. The very people who once questioned my approach to foreign policy were taken aback when they learned I had invited all SAARC heads of state and our then President Pranab Mukherjee beautifully captured that historic gesture in his memoir,” Modi said.
“This was a testament to how clear and confident India’s foreign policy had become. This sent a clear message to the world about India’s commitment to peace and harmony, but we didn’t get the desired outcome,” he said.
In the podcast, the Prime Minister said he shares a bond of mutual trust with US President Donald Trump and they connect well because they believe in putting their respective national interests above everything else.
Modi hailed Trump as a man of courage, who took his own decisions, was unwaveringly dedicated to the United States and the same spirit was on display when he was shot at by a gunman on the election campaign trail last year.
The prime minister said President Trump appeared far more prepared than before in his second term.
“He has a clear roadmap in his mind with well-defined steps, each one designed to lead him toward his goals,” Modi said on Trump’s second term as President.
The prime minister said he had the chance to meet members of Trump’s team during his recent visit to the US.
“I truly believe he has put together a strong, capable group. And with such a strong team, I feel they are fully capable of implementing President Trump’s vision,” Modi said.
He recalled his meetings with Vice President J D Vance, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, Vivek Ramaswamy and Elon Musk.
The prime minster recalled the ‘Howdy Modi’ community event at the packed NRG Stadium in Houston in September 2019 and how Trump listened to his speech by sitting among the audience.
“Now, that’s his humility. The President of the United States sitting in the audience while I spoke from the stage, that was a remarkable gesture on his part,” Modi said.
The prime minister also recalled how the US security detail went into a tizzy when he casually asked Trump to take a round of the packed stadium to greet the audience and he had agreed without hesitation.
“His entire security detail was thrown off guard, but for me that moment was truly touching. It showed me that this man had courage. He makes his own decisions, but also he trusted me and my lead in that moment enough to have walked with me into the crowd,” he said.
“It was that sense of mutual trust, a strong bond between us that I truly witnessed on that day. And the way I saw President Trump that day walking into a crowd of thousands without even asking security, it was truly amazing,” the prime minister said.
Modi said he saw the same resilient and determined Trump when he was shot at during the US election campaign.
“Even after being shot, he remained unwaveringly dedicated to America. His life was for his nation. This showed his America First spirit, just as I believe in nation first ‘” India first,” the prime minister said.
“I stand for India first and that’s why we connect so well. These are the things that truly resonate,” Modi said.
The prime minister said politicians across the world get so much media coverage that people mostly perceive them through its lens.
“People rarely get the chance to truly meet or personally know one another and perhaps third-party intervention is the real cause of tensions,” Modi said.
