Terrorists should've been dealt with in 1947, Sardar Patel's advice was ignored: PM
The terrorists in Kashmir should have been dealt with effectively in 1947, when the first terrorist attack occurred after partition and what India is experiencing today is a distorted form of the same terror that has plagued the country for decades, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said while addressing a gathering in Gujarat.The Prime Minister pointed out that Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, India's first Home Minister, had argued that the army offensive against Pakistan in 1947 should not have proceeded without reclaiming Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, but the then Congress government ignored his advice.advertisement"In 1947, when Mother India was partitioned into three parts... that very night, the first terror attack occurred on the soil of Kashmir. One part of Mother India was forcibly taken over by Pakistan in the name of 'mujahideen'. On that day, those so-called mujahideen should have been thrown into the pit of death," the PM said.
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Indian Express
35 minutes ago
- Indian Express
The Train to Kashmir
Prime Minister Narendra Modi flagged off two specially designed Vande Bharat trains between Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra and Srinagar on Friday. The inauguration of a direct rail link to the Valley is a historic milestone that is likely to have a far-reaching impact on the development, trade, and tourism of Kashmir, and its closer all-round integration with the rest of the country. A very long journey The first railway line in the former princely state of Jammu and Kashmir was built by the British in 1897 over a distance of 40-45 km between Jammu and Sialkot in the plains. In 1902 and 1905, a railway line was proposed between Rawalpindi and Srinagar along the course of the Jhelum, which would have connected the Kashmir Valley with the railway network of undivided India. But Maharaja Pratap Singh of Jammu and Kashmir was in favour of a Jammu-Srinagar line via Reasi, and neither project progressed. After Partition, Sialkot went to Pakistan, and Jammu was disconnected from the rail network of India. Until the inauguration of the Pathankot-Jammu line in 1975, the railway station nearest to Jammu and Kashmir was Pathankot in Punjab. In 1983, work began on a railway line between Jammu and Udhampur. This 53-km line was supposed to be completed in five years, but ultimately took 21 years. With work still underway, the central government announced, in 1994, the extension of this line from Udhampur to Srinagar, and onward to Baramulla. This was the Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Rail Link (USBRL) Project, which was approved in March 1995 at an estimated cost of Rs 2,500 crore. In 2002, the USBRL was declared a national project, and sections of the line became operational over the years that followed. The USBRL is finally complete now —272 km of tracks built at a cost of Rs 43,780 crore, passing through 36 tunnels and over 943 bridges, bringing Katra and Srinagar within 3 hours of each other. An engineering feat The Himalayas are young, and the geologically unstable Shivalik Hills and Pir Panjal mountains lie in the seismically most active Zones IV and V. The terrain is difficult and sees heavy snow in winter, and presented serious challenges in the construction of bridges and tunnels. Among the several firsts of this remarkable achievement of railway engineering are the world's highest railway arch bridge, its arch rising 359 metres above the bed of the Chenab in Reasi district; the first cable-stayed bridge of the Railways on the Anji Khad, also in Reasi district; and the country's longest transport tunnel, 12.77 km long, in Ramban district. Development benefits Two Vande Bharat trains in each direction will cover the distance between Katra and Srinagar in about three hours, halving the time taken by the road journey. The trains will run even in deep winter, providing round-the-year all-weather connectivity to the Valley. The train will be extended soon to Jammu Tawi, which will make it possible to roll into Srinagar directly from almost anywhere in the country. The potential of the train in revolutionising tourism in Jammu and Kashmir has been repeatedly stressed. Over time, the USBRL is expected to have a major impact on the economy of the Union Territory, facilitating hassle-free transport of goods such as apples, dry fruits, pashmina shawls, handicrafts etc., to other parts of the country in the shortest possible time and at lower costs. The cost of transporting items of daily use to the Valley from elsewhere in the country is also expected to go down significantly.
Economic Times
an hour ago
- Economic Times
Donald Trump says Elon Musk has 'lost his mind' as feud fallout mounts
Live Events (You can now subscribe to our (You can now subscribe to our Economic Times WhatsApp channel US President Donald Trump said Friday that Elon Musk had "lost his mind" but insisted he wanted to move on from the fiery split with his billionaire former ally. The blistering public break-up between the world's richest person and the world's most powerful is fraught with political and economic risks all had scrapped the idea of a call with Musk and was even thinking of ditching the red Tesla he bought at the height of their bromance, White House officials told AFP."Honestly I've been so busy working on China, working on Russia, working on Iran... I'm not thinking about Elon Musk, I just wish him well," Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One en route to his New Jersey golf club late Trump told US broadcasters that he now wanted to focus instead on passing his "big, beautiful" mega-bill before Congress -- Musk's harsh criticism of which had sparked their the 78-year-old Republican could not stop himself from taking aim at his South African-born friend-turned-enemy."You mean the man who has lost his mind?" Trump said in a call with ABC when asked about Musk, adding that he was "not particularly" interested in talking to the later told Fox News that Musk had "lost it."Just a week ago Trump gave Musk a glowing send-off as he left his cost-cutting role at the so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) after four months working there.- 'Very disappointed' -While there had been reports of tensions, the sheer speed at which their relationship imploded stunned Musk called Trump's spending bill an "abomination" on Tuesday, Trump hit back in an Oval Office diatribe on Thursday in which he said he was "very disappointed" by the spending bill faces a difficult path through Congress as it will raise the US deficit, while critics say it will cut health care for millions of the poorest row then went nuclear, with Musk slinging insults at Trump and accusing him without evidence of being in government files on disgraced financier and sex offender Jeffrey hit back with the power of the US government behind him, saying he could cancel the Space X boss's multi-billion-dollar rocket and satellite struck a milder tone late Friday when asked how seriously he is considering cutting Musk's contracts."It's a lot of money, it's a lot of subsidy, so we'll take a look -- only if it's fair. Only if it's to be fair for him and the country," he apparently also tried to de-escalate social media right-wing tech baron rowed back on a threat to scrap his company's Dragon spacecraft -- vital for ferrying NASA astronauts to and from the International Space on Friday the usually garrulous poster kept a low social media profile on his X social the White House denied reports that they would talk."The president does not intend to speak to Musk today," a senior White House official told AFP. A second official said Musk had requested a call.- Tesla giveaway? -Tesla stocks tanked more than 14 percent on Thursday amid the row, losing some $100 billion of the company's market value, but recovering partly is now considering either selling or giving away the cherry red Tesla S that he announced he had bought from Musk's firm in electric vehicle was still parked on the White House grounds on Friday. "He's thinking about it, yes," a senior White House official told AFP when asked if Trump would sell or give it and Musk had posed inside the car at a bizarre event in March, when the president turned the White House into a pop-up Tesla showroom after viral protests against Musk's DOGE while Trump appeared to hold many of the cards, Musk also has some to wealth allowed him to be the biggest donor to Trump's 2024 campaign, to the tune of nearly $300 million. Any further support for the 2026 midterm election now appears in doubt -- while Musk could also use his money to undermine Trump's support on the right.
India Gazette
an hour ago
- India Gazette
"Long-pending project, demand ": JK Minister Satish Sharma on Chenab rail bridge
Katra (Jammu and Kashmir) [India], June 7 (ANI): Jammu and Kashmir Minister Satish Sharma on Friday said that the railway bridge over the Chenab river, inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, was a long-pending project and demand. The Minister said that the people of Jammu and Kashmir are development-oriented and that the much-awaited project would boost tourism. Speaking to ANI about the Chenab rail bridge inauguration, Sharma said a day earlier, 'Today, the Kashmir valley has been connected with the rest of the nation. This was a long-pending project and demand. I congratulate Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, and Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah for making this possible.' 'The people of Jammu and Kashmir are development-oriented. The inauguration of the project will promote tourism, increase employment. Along with that, the produce, such as fruits, nuts, will be easy for deemed export to other parts of the country. It's a history in the making,' he said. On terrorism, Satish Sharma said, 'We have clarified our stance and have said that we believe in tourism, and they (Pakistan) believe in terrorism. These development projects are an answer to India's stand against terror.' Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the much-awaited and world's highest railway arch bridge over the river Chenab during his day-long visit to Jammu and Kashmir on Friday. The architectural marvel Chenab Rail Bridge, situated 359 metres above the river, is the world's highest railway arch bridge. It is a 1,315-metre-long steel arch bridge engineered to withstand seismic and wind conditions. A key impact of the bridge will be in enhancing connectivity between Jammu and Srinagar. The Vande Bharat train moving on the bridge will take just about three hours to travel between Katra and Srinagar, reducing the existing travel time by two to three hours. Speaking about the inauguration of the Katra-Srinagar Vande Bharat Express, BJP leader Altaf Thakur said, 'The dream of Kashmiris has been fulfilled today. They had been waiting for this day for a very long time. The inauguration of Vande Bharat by Prime Minister Narendra Modi will connect Jammu and Kashmir with the rest of the nation. This will also give a massive boost to the economy of Kashmir as tourists will come to Jammu and Kashmir in large numbers.' On terrorism, Altaf Thakur said, 'On April 22, Pakistan attacked Pahalgam and killed 26 people, that was a huge move to try to paralyse Kashmir's tourism. After the inauguration of the Vande Bharat Express, tourism will return to normalcy. Today, Kashmir is celebrating Eid-al-Adha and PM Modi has given a gift to the people of Jammu and Kashmir.' Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday flagged off two Vande Bharat Express trains from Katra Railway Station, directly connecting the Jammu division with Kashmir. This marks a major milestone in Jammu and Kashmir's railway connectivity. Before flagging off the trains, Prime Minister Modi interacted with school children onboard and also spoke with railway staff members present on the train. The new Vande Bharat Express service will reduce the travel time between Katra and Srinagar from the current 6-7 hours by road to just about 3 hours. The trains aim to provide a fast, comfortable, and reliable travel option for residents, tourists, and pilgrims. The train will run through the Anji Khad Bridge, which is India's first cable-stayed railway bridge, and the Chenab Bridge, which is the highest railway bridge in the world. These trains have been specially designed to operate in the cold climatic conditions of the Kashmir Valley. Prime Minister Modi inaugurated the world's highest railway arch bridge - 'Chenab Railway Bridge' and India's first cable-stayed 'Anji Bridge' in Jammu and Kashmir's Reasi district. Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and Union Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw were present during the inauguration. Before the inauguration of the bridge on the Chenab, the Prime Minister inspected the railway arch bridge. These bridges are part of the ambitious Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Railway Link (USBRL) project in Jammu and Kashmir. The iconic Chenab Railway Bridge, the world's highest railway arch bridge, is part of the Katra-to-Sangaldan stretch, connecting New Delhi directly with Kashmir via Katra. Situated in the Reasi district of Jammu and Kashmir, the Chenab Bridge is an engineering marvel standing at a height of 359 meters above the riverbed. It will officially connect the Kashmir Valley with the rest of India via rail for the first time in history. The project faced numerous engineering and logistical challenges due to the region's difficult terrain and seismic sensitivity. Yet, after years of meticulous work, the bridge now stands as a testament to India's technological prowess and commitment to inclusive development. It marks a transformative chapter in India's infrastructural landscape, promising greater connectivity, economic growth, and social integration in the region. The Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Rail Link (USBRL) project is 272 km long USBRL project, constructed worth around Rs 43,780 crore, includes 36 tunnels (spanning 119 km) and 943 bridges. The project establishes all-weather, seamless rail connectivity between the Kashmir Valley and the rest of the country, aiming to transform regional mobility and drive socio-economic integration. (ANI)
