India celebrates 60 years

NEW DELHI – India celebrated six decades as an independent nation yesterday, as the prime minister warned against over-confidence from the rising power’s booming economy.

In a speech from the ramparts of the capital’s 17th-century Red Fort, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said democracy was India’s greatest achievement but warned of tough challenges ahead for the country. He said India, facing insurgencies from disputed Kashmir to the troubled state of Assam, would deliver strong action against “hatred and extremism” in the nation.”The success of a secular democracy in a nation of a billion people with such diversity is viewed with admiration,” he said from behind a bullet-proof shield and a tight security cordon.He urged Indians to unite against ‘anti-democratic, anti-social and anti-national forces’.The celebrations came a day after neighbouring Pakistan, carved out of India in 1947 at the end of British colonial rule, marked its own independence.Helicopters patrolled the skies and sharpshooters were posted on rooftops of nearby buildings as Singh unfurled the national flag.Nampa-AFPHe said India, facing insurgencies from disputed Kashmir to the troubled state of Assam, would deliver strong action against “hatred and extremism” in the nation.”The success of a secular democracy in a nation of a billion people with such diversity is viewed with admiration,” he said from behind a bullet-proof shield and a tight security cordon.He urged Indians to unite against ‘anti-democratic, anti-social and anti-national forces’.The celebrations came a day after neighbouring Pakistan, carved out of India in 1947 at the end of British colonial rule, marked its own independence.Helicopters patrolled the skies and sharpshooters were posted on rooftops of nearby buildings as Singh unfurled the national flag.Nampa-AFP