Modi addresses nation for first time since start of India-Pakistan strikes

Vocabulary: 335, Words: 747

1India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said his country will respond strongly to what he describes as a future "terrorist attack", after four days of military exchanges with neighbouring Pakistan.

2"This is not an era of war, but this is also not an era of terror," Modi said in his first public address since days of intense shelling and aerial incursions, carried out by both sides, began.

3These followed a militant attack in Indian-administered Kashmir that killed 26 people, for which India blamed a Pakistan-based group. 4Islamabad has strongly denied backing the group in question.

5The US-brokered ceasefire agreed between the nuclear-armed neighbours at the weekend appears to have held so far.

6Both nations say they remain vigilant.

7"If another terrorist attack against India is carried out, a strong response will be given," Modi said in his speech on Monday.

8"Terror and trade talks cannot happen together," he remarked. 9This was most likely a reference to comments from US President Donald Trump, who said he had told India and Pakistan his administration would only trade with them if they end the conflict.

10"Water and blood cannot flow together," Modi added, this time referring to the suspension of a water treaty between India and Pakistan.

11His comments come after Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Saturday said that his country had "acted as a responsible state", adding: "Our honour, our dignity and our self-respect are more precious to us than our lives."

12He said he believed the water issue with India would be resolved through peaceful negotiations.

13Earlier on Monday, top military officials from India and Pakistan discussed finer details of the ceasefire agreed between them over the weekend.

14According to the Indian army, the two sides spoke about the need to refrain from any aggressive action.

15"It was also agreed that both sides consider immediate measures to ensure troop reduction from the borders and forward areas," it said in a statement.

16India also announced it was reopening 32 airports for civilians that it had earlier said would remain closed until Thursday due to safety concerns.

17The recent tensions were the latest in the decades-long rivalry between India and Pakistan, who have fought two wars over Kashmir, a Himalayan region which they claim in full but administer in part.

18The hostilities threatened to turn into a fully-fledged war as they appeared unwilling to back down for days.

19Both countries have said that dozens of people from both sides died over the four days of fighting last week, partly due to heavy shelling near the de facto border.

20Announcing the ceasefire on Saturday, Trump said "it was time to stop the current aggression that could have led to the death and destruction of so many, and so much".

21Both India and Pakistan declared military victory after it came into effect.

22On 7 May, India reported striking nine targets inside Pakistan and Pakistan-administered Kashmir in response to the 22 April deadly militant attack in the picturesque Pahalgam valley.

23In the days after the first strike, India and Pakistan accused each other of cross-border shelling and claimed to have shot down rival drones and aircraft in their airspace.

24As the conflict escalated, both nations said they had struck the rival's military bases.

25Indian officials reported striking 11 Pakistan Air Force bases, including one in Rawalpindi, near the capital Islamabad. 26India also claimed Pakistan lost 35-40 men at the Line of Control - the de facto border - during the conflict and that its air force lost a few aircraft.

27Pakistan has accepted that some Indian projectiles landed at its air force bases.

28Indian defence forces have also said that they struck nine armed group training facilities in Pakistan and Pakistan-administered Kashmir, killing more than 100 militants.

29The Pakistan military, in turn, claims it targeted about 26 military facilities in India and that its drones hovered over the capital, Delhi.

30India has confirmed that some Pakistani projectiles landed up at its air force bases, though it did not comment on the claim about Delhi.

31Pakistan also claims to have shot down five Indian aircraft, including three French Rafales - India has not acknowledged this or commented on the number, though it said on Sunday that "losses are a part of combat".

32Pakistan denied the claims that an Indian pilot was in its custody after she ejected following an aircraft crash. 33India has also said that "all our pilots are back home".

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from BBC