Have defined border with Bangladesh after independence: Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday, the second day of his two-day visit to the UAE, said that India has managed to define its border with Bangladesh for the first time since gaining independence in 1947.

"In September last year, I met Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikha Hasina (in Dhaka) and told her to trust me in resolving the border issue," Modi said in an address to cheering Indian expatriates at the Dubai Cricket Stadum here on Monday evening.

"She said, 'What can I do except from trusting you?'," he said.

"On August 1 this year, border enclaves were exchanged between India and Bangladesh and the process for peace has been set," he said, adding that the India-Bangladesh border has been in the news all this while for illegal immigration.

The prime minister described India's new diplomatic strategy of engaging with the South Asian neighbourhood.

"Our objective has been to build strong friendship with our neighbouring countries and to take India to new heights," he said, as the massive crowd, mostly expatriate Indians, cheered on.

Referring to his visit to Sri Lanka in March this year, Modi said "there was not a single standalone visit" by an Indian prime minister to the island nation since that of Rajiv Gandhi in 1987.

As for other South Asian neighbours, he said, India spared no efforts to save the people of Maldives from the spectre of thirst.

India had rushed in drinking water to the Indian Ocean archipaelago nation in December last year after the main water treatment plant in capital Male was damaged in a fire.

On Afghanistan, he said: "All this time we have been providing a balm."

Taking a swipe at Pakistan, he said: "Everyone will have to decide whether they are with terrorism or against it."

"This false distinction between good terrorism and bad terrorism will not work," he said ahead of his return to India late Monday.

The United Arabe Emirates is home to around 2.6 million expatriate Indians and Modi's visit was the first by an Indian prime minister in 34 years.