India on Sunday continued its agenda of isolating Pakistan at the world stage when Prime Minister Narendra Modi called the neighbouring country the "mother-ship of terrorism," without explicitly naming Pakistan. This is the latest in a series of epithets Indian leaders have used for Pakistan, ever since an employee of the Indian Mission to the United Nations called the neighbouring country the "Ivy League of terrorism."
Speaking to leaders of the BRICS nations — which includes Brazil, Russia, China and South Africa, other than India — Modi said on Sunday: "The growing arc of terrorism today threatens the Middle East, West Asia, Europe and South Asia. Its violent footprints put at risk the security of our citizens and undercuts our efforts aimed at economic growth."
He went on to add: "In our own region, terrorism poses a grave threat to peace, security and development. Tragically, the mother-ship of terrorism is a country in India's neighbourhood. Terror modules around the world are linked to this mother-ship."
He did not explicitly name Pakistan, quite like how he has been doing in the past when referring to terrorism in the region. One such example was when the prime minister, at the Aishbagh Ram Leela function in Lucknow recently, said that terrorism should be rooted out, and those supporting it should also not be spared.
Earlier this month, while inaugurating the Pravasi Bharatiya Kendra, a state-of-the-art complex for services to overseas Indians, Modi had said: "India has never coveted any territory; never attacked another country. Instead, thousands of Indians gave their lives in the World War I." This was another swipe at Pakistan, which has for long hankered after Kashmir.
India has also isolated Pakistan on the world stage in other ways, by withdrawing from the SAARC summit that was supposed to be held in the neighbouring country over the terror attack on the Army camp in Uri in Jammu and Kashmir that led to the death of 19 Indian soldiers. Other member nations followed suit one by one. Ultimately, Pakistan was forced to postpone the meeting indefinitely, which was effectively a cancellation.
