India's Modi to visit Kashmir to unveil strategic railway
SRINAGAR: Prime Minister Narendra Modi is to make his first visit to contested Kashmir since a conflict between India and Pakistan last month, inaugurating a strategic railway to the mountainous region, his office said Wednesday.
The Muslim-majority Himalayan region of Kashmir is at the centre of a bitter rivalry between India and Pakistan, divided between them since independence from British rule in 1947.
Modi is set to visit on Friday to open the Chenab Bridge, a 1,315-metre-long (4,314-foot-long) steel and concrete span that connects two mountains with an arch 359 metres above the river below.
'The project establishes all-weather, seamless rail connectivity between the Kashmir Valley and the rest of the country,' the Prime Minister's Office said in a statement.
Modi is expected to flag off a special train.
Last month, nuclear-armed India and Pakistan fought an intense four-day conflict, their worst standoff since 1999, before a ceasefire was agreed on May 10.
More than 70 people were killed in missile, drone and artillery fire on both sides.
The conflict was triggered by an April 22 attack on civilians in Indian-administered Kashmir that New Delhi accused Pakistan of backing -- a charge Islamabad denies.
Rebel groups in Indian-run Kashmir have waged a 35-year-long insurgency demanding independence for the territory or its merger with Pakistan.
The 272-kilometre (169-mile) Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla railway -- with 36 tunnels and 943 bridges -- has been constructed 'aiming to transform regional mobility and driving socio-economic integration', the statement added.
Its dramatic centrepiece is the Chenab Bridge, which India calls the 'world's highest railway arch bridge'.
While several road and pipeline bridges are higher, Guinness World Records confirmed that Chenab trumps the previous highest railway bridge, the Najiehe in China.
Indian Railways calls the $24-million bridge 'arguably the biggest civil engineering challenge faced by any railway project in India in recent history'.
The bridge will facilitate the movement of people and goods -- as well as troops -- that was previously possible only via treacherous mountain roads and air.
The train line could slash travel time between the town of Katra and Srinagar, the region's key city, by half, taking around three hours.
The bridge will also revolutionise logistics in Ladakh, the icy region in India bordering China.
India and China, the world's two most populous nations, are intense rivals competing for strategic influence across South Asia.
Their troops clashed in 2020, killing at least 20 Indian and four Chinese soldiers, and forces from both sides today face off across contested high-altitude borderlands.
The railway begins in the garrison city of Udhampur, headquarters of the army's northern command, and runs north to Srinagar.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Star
17 minutes ago
- The Star
Carney invites Modi to G7 summit despite strained ties between Canada and India
FILE - A photograph of late temple president Hardeep Singh Nijjar is seen on a banner outside the Guru Nanak Sikh Gurdwara Sahib in Surrey, British Columbia, on Sept. 18, 2023. Tensions remain high between Canada and India over accusations about Indian government agents being involved in his murder. - AP TORONTO: Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney on Friday (June 6) invited Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the G7 summit in Alberta later this month, an invitation Modi accepted despite strained ties between the countries. The countries expelled each other's top diplomats last year over the killing of a Sikh Canadian activist in Canada and allegations of other crimes. The invitation prompted anger from the World Sikh Organisation of Canada, which wrote to Carney in May asking him not to invite Modi. Tensions remain high between Canada and India over accusations about Indian government agents being involved in the murder of a Canadian activist for Sikh separatism in British Columbia in 2023. Carney extended the invitation to Modi in a phone call between the two leaders on Friday. The summit runs from June 15 to 17. Carney noted Canada is in the role of G7 chair and said there are important discussions that India should be a part of. "India is the fifth largest economy in the world, the most populous country in the world and central to supply chains," Carney told reporters, adding that there has been some progress on law enforcement dialogue between the two countries. "I extended the invitation to Prime Minister Modi and, in that context, he has accepted,' Carney said. Carney said there is a legal process underway in the killing of the Canadian Sikh activist and said he would not comment on the case when asked by a reporter if he thought Modi was involved. The tit-for-tat expulsions came after Canada told India that its top diplomat in the country is a person of interest in the 2023 assassination of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, and that police have uncovered evidence of an intensifying campaign against Canadian citizens by agents of the Indian government. Modi said he was glad to receive a call from Carney and congratulated him on his recent election victory. "As vibrant democracies bound by deep people-to-people ties, India and Canada will work together with renewed vigour, guided by mutual respect and shared interests. Look forward to our meeting at the summit,' Modi said in a social media statement. Nijjar, 45, was fatally shot in his pickup truck after he left the Sikh temple he led in Surrey, British Columbia. An Indian-born citizen of Canada, he owned a plumbing business and was a leader in what remains of a once-strong movement to create an independent Sikh homeland. Four Indian nationals living in Canada were charged with Niijar's murder. Balpreet Singh, legal counsel and spokesperson for the World Sikh Organisation of Canada, called Carney's invitation to Modi a "betrayal of Canadian values.' "The summit to which Mr. Modi is being invited falls on the anniversary of the assassination of Hardeep Singh Nijjar two years ago,' he said. "So for us, this is unacceptable, it's shocking and it's a complete reversal of the principled stand that Prime Minister Trudeau had taken.' Canada is not the only country that has accused Indian officials of plotting an assassination on foreign soil. In 2023 US prosecutors said an Indian government official directed a failed plot to assassinate another Sikh separatist leader in New York. - AP
The Star
17 minutes ago
- The Star
Pakistan hopes to advance Asean partnership status: Envoy
A tourist vehicle drives through a deserted road in Pahalgam in Indian controlled Kashmir, Thursday, May 15, 2025. Malaysia has offered to mediate in the wake of the April 22 attack in Pahalgam, Indian-administered Kashmir, which left 26 people dead and sharply raised tensions between the two neighbours. - AP KUALA LUMPUR: Pakistan is hoping to elevate its standing with Asean from a sectoral dialogue partner to a full dialogue partner, said its High Commissioner to Malaysia, Syed Ahsan Raza Shah. Syed Ahsan said Pakistan, Asean's sectoral dialogue partner since 1993, has long valued its engagement with the regional bloc and looks forward to deepening cooperation. "The matter has been discussed between the Prime Minister of Pakistan and the Prime Minister of Malaysia,' he said at a media briefing here, Friday (June 6). He added that Pakistan views Asean as a key platform for promoting regional peace and stability, fostering economic cooperation, and advancing shared development. In October last year, media reports quoted Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim as saying that Pakistan has Malaysia's full support in its bid to become a full dialogue partner of Asean. Meanwhile, Pakistan also Anwar's offer to mediate in the Kashmir conflict, citing his respected standing and close ties with both India and Pakistan as key to easing tensions in the region. Syed Ahsan said Anwar's good relations with the leadership of both countries could play a constructive role in easing tensions between the South Asian neighbours. "Anwar expressed his willingness to engage in dialogue between the two countries after being informed of the postponement of the Pakistani Prime Minister's visit on May 9,' he said. Syed Ahsan highlighted that the call between Anwar and Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had taken place in the first week of May, just days before fighting broke out in Kashmir. On May 5, Malaysia's offer to mediate comes in the wake of the April 22 attack in Pahalgam, Indian-administered Kashmir, which left 26 people dead and sharply raised tensions between the two neighbours. Following the incident, Anwar expressed Malaysia's willingness to assist in de-escalating the situation, citing its good relations with both parties. - Bernama
New Straits Times
an hour ago
- New Straits Times
Ringgit set to extend gains as US fundamentals weaken
KUALA LUMPUR: The ringgit is poised to extend its gains against the US dollar next week, buoyed by weakening US fundamentals, easing trade tensions, and stronger domestic economic resilience. The local currency has already strengthened against major and Asean currencies, and Bank Muamalat Malaysia Bhd chief economist Dr Mohd Afzanizam Abdul Rashid said the trend is likely to persist as economic momentum in the US continues to lose steam. "We expect this trend to hold in the near term, driven by signs of a slowing US economy as business and consumer sentiment continue to weaken," he told Business Times. Afzanizam added that heightened uncertainty over US trade policies is further dampening confidence among businesses, prompting a reassessment of the greenback's global standing. "In some ways, the US dollar's dominance in the global economy is being revisited. This shift could favour emerging market currencies, including the ringgit, in the short to medium term," he said. Echoing this view, SPI Asset Management managing partner Stephen Innes said that foreign appetite for Malaysian assets remains strong, further supporting the local currency. "The ringgit is finally catching a break. With the US dollar on the back foot, tariffs de-escalating, and capital inflows into bonds and FX deposits rising, there is a tangible floor forming under ringgit," he said. Innes pointed to growing foreign appetite for Malaysian debt, highlighting the 3.3 times bid-to-cover ratio in May's 20-year government investment issue (GII) auction as a signal of revived confidence. He noted that foreign holdings of local government bonds have risen to 21.5 per cent, reversing a dip recorded in February. Adding to the ringgit's resilience, foreign currency deposits in local banks have climbed to a record 11.6 per cent of total deposits, offering a buffer against external shocks. Innes said that while Malaysia is not immune to global economic fragility, it is also not a sitting duck, with the domestic investment cycle now taking the lead. "If the trade war cools and global risk sentiment remains stable, Malaysia may continue to navigate the delicate balance between global volatility and domestic resilience. The ringgit, for once, has a shot at playing offence," he added. The ringgit opened higher this morning, extending its gains against the US dollar. At 8am, it stood at 4.2140/4.2335 compared with Thursday's close of 4.2245/4.2295. The local currency also traded mostly higher against major currencies, gaining ground against the Japanese yen and British pound, though it slipped slightly against the euro. Among regional peers, the ringgit appreciated across most Asean currencies, including the Singapore dollar, Thai baht, Indonesian rupiah and Philippine peso. It ended Friday's session at 4.2275 against the greenback.
