2014 could have made a lot of difference :::: "We were very happy to hear today...." - Pak NSA Sartaj Aziz had said after Narendra Modi's maiden speech at UNGA

 Close on the heels of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's maiden speech at the UNGA in September 2014; Pakistan's NSA Sartaj Aziz had said something unthinkable. 

He had said --  

"We were very happy to hear today ... the Prime Minister Modi saying that we want better relation and for that purpose we are ready for engaging serious dialogue with Pakistan. This means now both the countries want dialogue".  

Here are highlights from PM Modi's speech at UNGA, 26-27 Sept - 2014: 

-- "No one country or group of countries can determine the course of this world. There has to be a genuine international partnership. This is not just a moral position, but a practical reality."

** Every nation's world view is shaped by its civilization and philosophical tradition. 

India's ancient wisdom sees the world as one family- Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam.  

** A nation's destiny is linked to its neighbourhood. That is why my Government has placed the highest priority on advancing friendship and cooperation with her neighbours.  

"I am prepared to engage in a serious bilateral dialogue with Pakistan in a peaceful atmosphere, without the shadow of terrorism, to promote our friendship and cooperation. 

However, Pakistan must also take its responsibility seriously to create an appropriate environment. Raising issues in this forum is not the way to make progress towards resolving issues between our two countries. "  

"Terrorism is taking new shape and new name. No country, big or small, in the north or the south, east or west, is free from its threat. 

Are we really making concerted international efforts to fight these forces, or are we still hobbled by our politics, our divisions?...We should put aside our differences and mount a concerted international effort to combat terrorism and extremism. 

"As a symbol of this effort, I urge you to adopt the Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism." 

"We must reform the United Nations, including the Security Council, and make it more democratic and participative. Institutions that reflect the imperatives of 20th century won't be effective in the 21st. 

It would face the risk of irrelevance; and we will face the risk of continuing turbulence with no one capable of addressing it."

"Yoga embodies unity of mind and body; thought and action; restraint and fulfillment; harmony between man and nature; a holistic approach to health and well being. 

It is not about exercise but to discover the sense of oneness with yourself, the world and the nature. 

By changing our lifestyle and creating consciousness, it can help us deal with climate change. Let us work towards adopting an International Yoga Day. (At UN, PM Modi Makes Pitch For Yoga in 2014)    

In his UN General Assembly address in September 2014, PM Modi suggested June 21—the summer solstice and longest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere—as a global day for yoga.

On December 11, 2014, the United Nations officially proclaimed June 21 as the International Day of Yoga.  

Extract from a report in London's 'The Guardian' ::: 

"Every morning, before the temperatures in India’s capital start to rise, a handful of old friends gather. On the parched grass not far from the India Gate monument at the centre of Delhi, they stretch, breathe and meditate.

“It is the only healthy way to start the day. Much better than an egg or a sandwich or a cup of tea,” said Arvind Singh at 6.15am as he did his breathing exercises on a bench.

Singh, a 42-year-old salesman, and his friends are far from alone. All across India, in the overcrowded cities, on whatever green space is left, similar scenes are being played out.

On 21 June – the new International Yoga day – Narendra Modi, India’s prime minister, hopes the world will join in. 

The grass near India Gate will be transformed into the venue for what it is hoped will be the biggest single yoga session ever held, with up to 45,000 people running through a 35-minute routine."  

*** 

The Indo-Pak ties and 'no talks'   

'Operation Sindoor' in May 2025 underscored the alarming escalation between India and Pakistan.

The suspension of the Indus waters treaty and the missile strikes were more than just a return to familiar hostility. 

They do reflect a deeper pattern.

The impulse to respond to provocation, even when those responses, whether symbolic or military, offer little durable benefit and risk spiralling escalation.

ends