Srinagar, October 27: Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who arrived in Jammu and Kashmir to celebrate Diwali with armed forces, said that the Indian Army personnel guarding the Line of Control (LoC) have kept the bordering state "invincible". Wearing a camouflage jacket, PM Narendra Modi celebrated Diwali with soldiers deployed in Rajouri district and lauded the armed forces' valour and sacrifice. Pakistan Turns Down India’s Request to Open Airspace For PM Narendra Modi's Saudi Arabia Visit.

"There are many border areas but this region where you are, is unique. Be it war, insurgency, infiltration - this has had to suffer all of it&it has come out of that every time. It's a region which has never seen defeat. It's not only victorious but also invincible," PM Modi said while addressing soldiers. He recalled the valour and supreme sacrifices made by armed forces on October 27, 1947, which is also celebrated as infantry day.

The Infantry Day is observed to mark the landing of first Indian troops in Jammu and Kashmir in 1947 to push back Pakistan supported intruders. The Prime Minister said that everyone endeavours to travel far and wide to celebrate the festival of Diwali with family members and likewise he too travelled to be with the members of his family, the brave Jawans of the armed forces.

PM Narendra Modi Addressing Armed Forces on Diwali:

Listing the steps being taken by the government to further strengthen and modernize the Indian defence forces, PM Modi said that the Centre is committed to taking steps to ensure the welfare of soldiers. Earlier, he visited the "Hall of Fame" in Rajouri where he paid homage to the soldiers and citizens, who laid down their lives to protect Rajouri and Poonch sectors. PM termed the Hall of fame as "Parakram Bhoomi, Prerna Bhoomi, and Paavan Bhoomi ".

Prime Minister also visited the Pathankot Airbase to meet the brave air warriors of Indian Air Force (IAF). This the sixth consecutive time that PM Modi celebrated Diwali with security personnel. Last year, PM Modi visited Harshil district near the India-China border in Uttarakhand to celebrate Diwali with jawans of the Indian Army and the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP).

In 2014, PM Modi celebrated Diwali with Army troops in Siachen. In 2015, he celebrated the festival with BSF soldiers at the LoC near the India-Pakistan border in Punjab, while in 2016, he spent it with ITBP troops in Himachal Pradesh. In 2017, Prime Minister rejoiced Diwali with jawans posted along the LoC in Jammu and Kashmir's Gurez.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Oct 27, 2019 07:01 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).