India's Modi to visit Kashmir to unveil strategic railway
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 on Wednesday.
Modi is set to visit on Friday to open the Chenab Bridge, a 1,315-metre-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.
The 272-kilometre 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 National
6 hours ago
- The National
Victory for Virat Kohli's Bengaluru was also a triumph for cricket
Kudos to Bengaluru for winning the IPL title I write in reference to Ajit Vijaykumar's article IPL 2025: Cricket fortunate to witness final flourish of Virat Kohli's glorious career (June 4): it was a proud and unforgettable moment for Bengalureans, including myself, as we witnessed the final IPL T20 match played in Ahmedabad, where our Royal Challengers Bangalore side clinched a thrilling victory against Punjab Kings. This win marks a significant turning point in RCB's journey, as they secured their first IPL trophy after 18 long years of perseverance and dedication. The team's unwavering spirit, hard work, and unity were truly commendable and inspirational. RCB's victory sparked huge celebrations across Bengaluru, with fans expressing their joy and pride in grand fashion. The deep bond between Bengalureans and their home team was evident, turning the city's streets into a sea of red and gold. What made the moment even more special was the spirit of true sportsmanship displayed by Punjab. Despite the loss, they graciously acknowledged and applauded RCB's well-deserved victory, reflecting the essence of the game — that cricket, like any sport, should be played and celebrated with mutual respect and integrity. This final wasn't just about winning a trophy – it was about resilience, belief and the spirit of the game that unites millions. K Ragavan, Bengaluru, India We need a Gaza deal now I write in reference to the editorial Gaza cannot afford more ceasefire stalemate (June 2): the plight of the people of Gaza is really heart-rending. They are unable to access water, food and medicines. The area of land that they occupy has been shrinking in the current conflict. Their children are missing school for years now. Generations of children are losing the opportunity to build better lives. Hamas should release the remaining Israeli hostages as a sign of good faith. Perhaps, it will create an atmosphere of mutual trust and kindle a peaceful settlement eventually. I hope countries like Jordan, Egypt and the UAE lead efforts to restore normality in Gaza. The people of Gaza have the right to lead peaceful family lives, just as the rest of us do. Rajendra Aneja, Dubai US officials need to be neutral I write in reference to the The National 's Facebook post titled US Ambassador to Israel suggests Palestinian state on French Riviera (June 1): how can peace be negotiated and achieved when officials in government show no neutrality? Seventy-seven years of conflict and no one is adult enough to realise that endless wars do not benefit the planet or humanity. Why do influential people perpetuate this vicious cycle? Lalitha Omar, Durban, South Africa Violence should not be normalised I write in reference to Nagham Mohanna's article Three more Palestinians killed by Israeli army gunfire near aid centre in southern Gaza (June 2): the killing of innocent Palestinians has become normal, yet so few are talking about it. We will be answerable to our silence. Abdul Razak Yasin Jr, Dubai Dress respectfully I write to you in reference to the article 'This is how you dress at Dubai Mall': Viral post sparks fashion etiquette debate (June 1): I fully agree. Some tourists are dressing in a disrespectful way in a Muslim country. Nobody requests that you cover your hair or face, but pay attention at the signs at the entry of the malls and dress accordingly. Yes. As an expat, I was always astonished at the lack of respect for the culture. Thank you for this. Judy Garelli
Arabian Post
9 hours ago
- Arabian Post
How Post Operation Sindoor Modi Doctrine Stifling India's Diplomatic Outreach?
By Nitya Chakraborty 26 days have passed since the temporary truce in the limited four day war between India and Pakistan taking effect on May 10 this year. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been talking of his three point doctrine since then, the most important of which is no dialogue with Pakistan unless the ruling regime of Islamabad shuns terrorism. Pakistan Prime Minister on the other hand is claiming as usual that his government had no role in the Pahalgam massacre of April 22, Pakistan strongly believes in fight against terrorism. Pakistan is ready for bilateral talks to discuss all the pending issues including terror. In this backdrop, fierce campaign has been launched by both India and Pakistan to influence the views of the foreign countries including the permanent and non-permanent members of the United Nations. Seven parliamentary delegations from India are on a visit to 33 nations in their diplomatic outreach. Two delegations have already returned. Congress Lok Sabha member Shashi Tharoor is still staying in the US at the head of the delegation to apprise both the U.S. government officials and the UN members the Indian viewpoint why Pakistan is the fountainhead of terrorist actions on Indian soil and why it is not possible to have any bilateral dialogue with Pakistan. Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has himself visited four countries so far as a part of his government's global outreach. Simultaneously a high powered delegation led by former Pakistan Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari is in USA talking to the Washington administration and the UN members. The South Asian diaspora in USA is betting for a Bilawal-Tharoor debate on the current India Pak tensions. Bilawal in his press meet has talked of a bilateral meet between India and Pakistan to discuss the issues on the lines of Pakistan PM's position. Tharoor has to focus only on terror and Pak links to terror. He can not touch the issue of any bilateral dialogue at the moment as per post Operation Sindoor Modi doctrine. Herein lies India's dilemma of positive global diplomatic outreach. So far, the feedback from the Parliamentary delegations talks abroad and the Indian embassies own efforts for outreach is this – all foreign leaders and the diplomats in the course of discussions are mentioning two things. First they are all with India in its fight against terror. They all favour India's fight against terrorists based in Pakistan. But they do not like any war between the two nuclear powers on this issue. They want bilateral talks if India does not agree for a mediator. Even Russian foreign minister has mentioned this, though Russia's statement was strongest in support of India's actions. Thus in the perception battle or more specifically in information war, Pakistan is getting some advantage as of now vis a vis India. Left to the external affairs ministry officials, they could have done much better job than the visiting Parliamentary delegations but their hands are tied. Modi's doctrine has stifled their flexibility. The Washington based Indian officials are seeing how the wavelength they established with the White House in the last few years, are crumbling before their own eyes due to the intervention of the PMO, the Modi doctrine and the interference by the Overseas Friends of BJP in USA and the Hindu organisations close to Narendra Modi. These officers are engaged in fire fighting operations. Now let us look at some upcoming events which show how challenging will be India's task in the coming two months in the arena of global diplomacy. First, India has not been invited to the G-7 summit at Alberta in Canada scheduled from June 15 to June 17. In the last five years, our Prime Minister made every effort to make himself visible among the World's top leaders. Last year at the G-7 summit in Italy, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni praised the Indian PM belonging to their own far right clan. PM was expecting an invitation till a week back, but it has not been sent and all indications are that it will not be sent by the Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney. The reason might be related to the possibility of pro- Khalistani demonstrations, but if the new Liberal Party PM wanted, he could have invited the Indian PM by making adequate arrangements for maintaining law and order. In such summits, always some kind of threat is there from the dissidents, but the summits take place after arranging full security preparations. More importantly, though Canada is the host country, other member countries did not bother to request the PM Mark Carney to invite India as India has been a long standing participant, The G-7 members are USA, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, UK and Canada. The other non members invited are Australia, Brazil, Mexico, South Africa and Ukraine. Narendra Modi enjoyed all the summits he attended giving the impression as if he belonged to one of those rich nations. But alas — in 2025 after India's unambiguous victory claimed by Modi against Pakistan in four day conflict, Indian Prime Minister has been shunned out of a crucial global summit. More trouble for Narendra Modi awaits in the month of July. This month Pakistan will take over as the President of the UN Security Council as per the rotation. The UNSC has five permanent members — USA, Russia, China, France and UK. There are ten non-permanent members now — Algeria, Denmark, Greece, Guyana, Pakistan, Panama, South Korea, Sierra Leone, Slovenia and Somalia. Pakistan will take over as the UNSC President in July as per norms. The UNSC President has powers to set agenda. Naturally, it is expected that Pakistan will take full advantage of its presidency to include discussion on Kashmir in the UNSC agenda. Once it is proposed by the President, this will have to be discussed in the context of India- Pakistan relations. This is a big challenge to India. Indian foreign ministry will have to make all preparations to meet Pakistan's proposed salvo. The UNSC members, both permanent and non-permanent have to be properly briefed. Pakistan is sure to make full use of July presidency of UNSC to further its cause of inernationalising the Kashmir situation again. Indian foreign ministry has to come out of the purview of Modi doctrine if it wants to effectively meet the Pak onslaught. Apart in July itself, BRICS summit is scheduled in Brazil on July 6 and 7 this year. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been invited as one of the founding members. He is expected to attend it. The BRICS members are Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa — the initial members. Now the expanded BRICS includes another five countries Indonesia, Iran, UAE, Saudi Arabia and Egypt. Chinese President Xi Jinping is sure to attend it. It is to be seen whether President Putin attends since there is a warrant of International Criminal Court, so Putin is avoiding visits to the ICC member countries. This year, if Narendra Modi attends the BRICS summit, he will be attending with a demoted stature. His image as a defender of global South has got damaged due to India's identification with the US strategy in Asia Pacific and India's distancing itself from the geo political positions of BRICS. The USA does not like India's pro-active position in BRICS. In fact, President Trump is in a running battle with the Presidents of South Africa and Brazil. So what stand Narendra Modi will be taking at the BRICS summit, that assumes significance. The hard reality is that Prime Minister may go on campaigning in favour of his doctrine and making efforts to rouse nationalist passions against Pakistan in public meetings, but global diplomacy is a hard ball. Indian officials have to defend the government's position every single day. That has been a tough task with limited flexibility. Prime Minister's present new doctrine towards Pakistan needs some finetuning to adapt to the political mood of the global community. The battle against Pakistan and terror is long drawn. It needs holistic strategy and not one time solution. (IPA Service)
Khaleej Times
16 hours ago
- Khaleej Times
Fighter pilot takes next giant step for India's space plans
Astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla blasts off into space next week as the first Indian to join the International Space Station (ISS), bearing with him New Delhi's dreams of its own manned space flight. An airforce fighter pilot, 39-year-old Shukla is joining a four-crew mission launching from the United States with private company Axiom Space, aboard a SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule. He will become the first Indian to join the ISS, and only the second ever in orbit -- an achievement that the world's most populous nation hopes will be a stepping stone for its own human flight. "I truly believe that even though, as an individual, I am travelling to space, this is the journey of 1.4 billion people," Shukla was quoted as saying by The Hindu newspaper this year. Shukla said he hopes to "ignite the curiosity of an entire generation in my country", and "drive the innovation that will make many such projects possible for us in the future". The airforce group captain -- equivalent to an army colonel or navy captain -- will pilot the commercial mission slated to launch June 10 from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, a joint team between NASA and ISRO, the Indian Space Research Organisation. 'New era' India's Department of Space calls it a "defining chapter" in its ambitions, naming Shukla as "among the top contenders" for its maiden human spaceflight mission, Gaganyaan, "sky craft" in Hindi, scheduled for launch in 2027. "His journey is more than just a flight -- it's a signal that India is stepping boldly into a new era of space exploration," the Department of Space said ahead of the launch. New Delhi has paid more than $60 million for the mission, according to Indian media reports. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has announced plans to send a man to the Moon by 2040. India's ISRO said in May that it planned to launch an uncrewed orbital mission later this year, before its first human spaceflight in early 2027. Shukla's voyage comes four decades after Indian astronaut Rakesh Sharma joined a Russian Soyuz spacecraft in 1984. "What sets Shukla's mission apart is its strategic importance," the department added. "Unlike the symbolic undertones of India's first human spaceflight, this time the focus is on operational readiness and global integration." Shukla also trained in Russia, in 2020 along with three other astronaut hopefuls, at the Yuri Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center -- before further training at ISRO's centre in the southern city of Bengaluru. He has said the journey aboard the Axiom Mission 4 -- and then the expected 14 days on the ISS -- will provide "invaluable" lessons to bring back home. - Space yoga - Shukla will be led by mission commander Peggy Whitson, a former NASA astronaut, and joined by European Space Agency project astronaut Slawosz Uznanski-Wisniewski of Poland, and Tibor Kapu of Hungary. The son of a government ministry official, from Lucknow in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh, Shukla is a veteran fighter pilot experienced in flying Russian Sukhoi and MiG jets. He has promised to perform yoga poses in the ISS. If he is unable to fly on Tuesday, fellow airforce pilot Group Captain Prasanth Balakrishnan Nair, 48, is expected to take his place. India has flexed its ambitions in the last decade with its space programme growing considerably in size and momentum, matching the achievements of established powers at a much cheaper price tag. In August 2023, it became just the fourth nation to land an unmanned craft on the Moon after Russia, the United States and China. Waiting at home will be Shukla's family, including his wife and son. "I've been having goosebumps by just thinking that soon my brother will be in space," his older sister Suchi, a school teacher, told the Times of India newspaper.
