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Straits Times
2 days ago
- Business
- Straits Times
India vows to keep up development in Kashmir after tourist attack
FILE PHOTO: Chairs and tables are scattered at the site of a suspected militant attack on tourists in Baisaran near Pahalgam in south Kashmir's Anantnag district, April 24, 2025. REUTERS/Adnan Abidi/File Photo India vows to keep up development in Kashmir after tourist attack NEW DELHI - India is committed to efforts to develop its restive territory of Jammu and Kashmir, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Friday, accusing neighbour Pakistan of seeking to destroy livelihoods there with April's deadly attack on tourists. He was speaking on his first visit to the Himalayan region since Islamist attackers targeted Hindu tourists in the popular Pahalgam area, killing 26 men, triggering hostilities between the nuclear-armed neighbours that ended in ceasefire last month. "The atmosphere of development that emerged in Jammu and Kashmir will not be hindered by the attack ... I will not let development stop here," Modi said in remarks after inaugurating infrastructure projects. Key among these was a $5-billion rail link between the Kashmir Valley and the rest of India, which has been more than 40 years in the making and features the world's highest railway arch bridge. Others include highways, city roads and a new medical college. India has accused Pakistan of backing the April attack, a claim denied by Islamabad, and they engaged in four days of fierce fighting last month before agreeing to a ceasefire. Pakistan aimed to disrupt the livelihoods of the poor in Kashmir, who rely heavily on tourism, Modi said, adding that he would face down any obstacle to regional development. Pakistan's foreign ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Modi's remarks. Last month, Islamabad said a just and peaceful resolution of the Kashmir dispute was essential to ensure lasting peace in the region, known for its snow-topped mountains, scenic lakes, lush meadows, and tulip gardens. The region, which drew more than 3 million visitors last year, is at the heart of the hostility between the old foes, both of which claim it in full, but rule it in part and have fought two of their three wars over it. India also accuses Pakistan of supporting Islamist militants battling security forces in Jammu and Kashmir, but Islamabad denies the accusation. Trains run in the Kashmir Valley but the new link is its first to the wider Indian railway network. Apart from boosting the regional economy, it is expected to help revive tourism, which plummeted after the April attack. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
The Star
2 days ago
- Politics
- The Star
India vows to keep up development in Kashmir after tourist attack
FILE PHOTO: Chairs and tables are scattered at the site of a suspected militant attack on tourists in Baisaran near Pahalgam in south Kashmir's Anantnag district, April 24, 2025. REUTERS/Adnan Abidi/File Photo NEW DELHI (Reuters) -India is committed to efforts to develop its restive territory of Jammu and Kashmir, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Friday, accusing neighbour Pakistan of seeking to destroy livelihoods there with April's deadly attack on tourists. He was speaking on his first visit to the Himalayan region since Islamist attackers targeted Hindu tourists in the popular Pahalgam area, killing 26 men, triggering hostilities between the nuclear-armed neighbours that ended in ceasefire last month. "The atmosphere of development that emerged in Jammu and Kashmir will not be hindered by the attack ... I will not let development stop here," Modi said in remarks after inaugurating infrastructure projects. Key among these was a $5-billion rail link between the Kashmir Valley and the rest of India, which has been more than 40 years in the making and features the world's highest railway arch bridge. Others include highways, city roads and a new medical college. India has accused Pakistan of backing the April attack, a claim denied by Islamabad, and they engaged in four days of fierce fighting last month before agreeing to a ceasefire. Pakistan aimed to disrupt the livelihoods of the poor in Kashmir, who rely heavily on tourism, Modi said, adding that he would face down any obstacle to regional development. Pakistan's foreign ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Modi's remarks. Last month, Islamabad said a just and peaceful resolution of the Kashmir dispute was essential to ensure lasting peace in the region, known for its snow-topped mountains, scenic lakes, lush meadows, and tulip gardens. The region, which drew more than 3 million visitors last year, is at the heart of the hostility between the old foes, both of which claim it in full, but rule it in part and have fought two of their three wars over it. India also accuses Pakistan of supporting Islamist militants battling security forces in Jammu and Kashmir, but Islamabad denies the accusation. Trains run in the Kashmir Valley but the new link is its first to the wider Indian railway network. Apart from boosting the regional economy, it is expected to help revive tourism, which plummeted after the April attack. ($1=85.7500 Indian rupees) (Reporting by Sakshi Dayal; Additional reporting by Uditha Jayasinghe; Editing by YP Rajesh and Clarence Fernandez)
Yahoo
13-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Indian border villagers want recompense for damages in Pakistan clashes
By Adnan Abidi and Fayaz Bukhari JAMMU/SRINAGAR (Reuters) - Nuclear-armed rivals India and Pakistan are maintaining a ceasefire that ended four days of intense military clashes, but many in the Indian-ruled part of disputed Kashmir are demanding compensation for damages from cross-border firing. Hundreds of villagers evacuated their homes as the rivals targeted each other's military installations with missiles and drones, killing about 70 civilians, after New Delhi struck what it called terrorist camps across the border. Many returned to find their homes destroyed or roofless. "Where will we go with our kids? We don't have anywhere to live and anything to eat," said Roshan Lal, from the village of Kot Maira in Akhnoor in India's district of Jammu, about 7 km (4 miles) from the de facto border. The shelling had left his home uninhabitable, the 47-year-old added. "I want to ask Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government for justice," he said. "We need compensation for the damages." In the nearby village of Pahari Wala, farmer Karan Singh said he buried seven cattle in his field, while his family are living in makeshift shelters. "I left the village when the conflict began," he said. "We don't have a place to stay." In Salamabad, a border village in the Kashmir Valley, shelling injured Badrudin Naik and his six-year-old son, but both returned home after five days. "I am happy to return," he said. "But my house is damaged. My two uncles' houses were completely destroyed. We want a permanent peace as it is we on the border who suffer more." Hindu-majority India and Muslim Pakistan, which both rule part of Kashmir, but claim it in full, have fought two of their three wars over the region and engaged in several smaller clashes over the decades. Teams have fanned out in the region to assess damage to homes, shops and other facilities, said a senior local government official, who sought anonymity as he was not authorised to speak to media. "Today our teams have gone to the areas which were affected," he said, adding, "The government will decide the amount of compensation." On Monday, Modi warned Pakistan that New Delhi would target "terrorist hideouts" across the border again if there were new attacks on India. Pakistan denies Indian accusations of supporting militants who attack India. Standing in front of the cracked wall of his Pahari Wala home, Joginder Lal said Modi should ignore U.S. President Donald Trump, who announced the ceasefire, saying Washington had played a role in halting the fighting. "We want to take full revenge against Pakistan," the 60-year-old added.
Japan Today
12-05-2025
- Politics
- Japan Today
India PM Modi warns Pakistan of more strikes if there is a 'terrorist attack'
A man stands amidst the debris on the roof of a damaged house, following Pakistan's military operation against India, in Rehari, Jammu, May 10, 2025. REUTERS/Adnan Abidi By Aftab Ahmed, Shivam Patel and YP Rajesh Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi warned Pakistan on Monday that New Delhi would target "terrorist hideouts" across the border again if there were new attacks on India and would not be deterred by what he called Islamabad's "nuclear blackmail". Modi's first public comments since Indian armed forces launched strikes on what New Delhi said were "terrorist camps" across the border last week indicated a hardening of India's position on ties with its neighbour, which were icy even before the latest fighting. Pakistan denies Indian accusations that it supports militants who attack it and says the locations hit by India last week were civilian sites. Modi was speaking two days after the nuclear-armed neighbours agreed to a ceasefire, announced by U.S. President Donald Trump. The truce was reached after four days of intense exchanges of fire as the old enemies targeted each other's military installations with missiles and drones, killing dozens of civilians. The military confrontation began on Wednesday, when India said it launched strikes on nine "terrorist infrastructure" sites in Pakistan and Pakistani Kashmir following an attack on Hindu tourists by Islamist militants in Indian Kashmir last month that killed 26 men. Islamabad denied any links to the attack and called for a neutral investigation. "If there is a terrorist attack on India, a fitting reply will be given... on our terms," Modi said, speaking in Hindi in a televised address. "In the coming days, we will measure every step of Pakistan... what kind of attitude Pakistan will adopt." "India will strike precisely and decisively at the terrorist hideouts developing under the cover of nuclear blackmail," he said, and listed New Delhi's conditions for holding talks with Islamabad and lifting curbs imposed after the Kashmir attack. "India's position is clear: terror and talks cannot go together; terror and trade cannot go together. And water and blood cannot flow together," he said, referring to a water sharing pact between the two countries New Delhi suspended. There was no immediate response to his comments from Islamabad. MILITARY TALKS Hindu-majority India and Muslim Pakistan both rule part of the Himalayan region of Kashmir, but claim it in full. They have fought two of their three wars since independence in 1947 over the region and there have been several other more limited flare-ups, including in 2016 and 2019. The latest military conflict between the South Asian neighbours spiralled alarmingly on Saturday and there were briefly fears that nuclear arsenals might come into play as Pakistan's military said a top body overseeing its nuclear weapons would meet. But the Pakistani defence minister said no such meeting was scheduled. Military analysts said this may have been Pakistan's way of hinting at its nuclear option as Islamabad has a "first-use" policy if its existence is under threat in a conflict. Modi's address came hours after the military operations chiefs of India and Pakistan spoke by phone, two days after they agreed to the ceasefire. "Issues related to continuing the commitment that both sides must not fire a single shot or initiate any aggressive and inimical action against each other were discussed," the Indian army said. "It was also agreed that both sides consider immediate measures to ensure troop reduction from the borders and forward areas," it added. There was no immediate Pakistani readout of the military operations chiefs' talks. In Washington, Trump said the leaders of India and Pakistan were "unwavering", and the U.S. "helped a lot" to secure the ceasefire, adding that trade was a "big reason" why the countries stopped fighting. "We are going to do a lot of trade with Pakistan... and India. We are negotiating with India right now. We are soon going to negotiate with Pakistan," he said, just ahead of Modi's speech. Pakistan has thanked the U.S. for brokering the ceasefire while India, which opposes third-party involvement in its disputes with Pakistan, has not commented on Washington's role. © Thomson Reuters 2025.
Japan Today
09-05-2025
- Politics
- Japan Today
Blasts rock Indian Kashmir, Amritsar as Pakistan conflict escalates
India's air defence system intercepts objects in the sky during a blackout following multiple blasts in the city of Jammu, May 9, 2025 REUTERS/Adnan Abidi By Aftab Ahmed, Charlotte Greenfield and Shivam Patel Blasts rang out across Indian Kashmir and the Sikh holy city of Amritsar in neighbouring Punjab state late on Friday, with the Indian military saying it was shooting down drones in the worst fighting with Pakistan in nearly three decades. The explosions in Amritsar - the first heard there in the three-day-old conflict between the nuclear-armed neighbors - could mark a further expansion in the hostilities that have alarmed world powers. Projectiles and flashes were seen in the night sky above the Indian Kashmir city of Jammu. It was plunged into a blackout on the second night of blasts in the region's winter capital, officials and a Reuters journalist said. "Drones have been sighted ... They are being engaged," said an Indian military official who asked not to be named. The Indian army said in a statement late on Friday that drones were sighted in 26 locations across a wide area of India's west and northwest from Kashmir and states bordering Pakistan to the edge of the Arabian Sea. Ten blasts were heard near the airport in the Indian Kashmir city of Srinagar and there were explosions in more locations in the contested region, other security officials added. There was no immediate comment from Pakistan. It had dismissed Indian accusations that it launched attacks on the same area on Thursday night. The old foes have been clashing since India struck several areas that it described as "terrorist infrastructure" in Pakistan on Wednesday in retaliation for a deadly attack on Hindu tourists in Indian Kashmir last month. Pakistan denied Indian accusations that it was involved in the tourist attack. The two countries have exchanged cross-border fire and shelling, and they have sent drones and missiles into each other's airspace. Around 48 people have been killed since Wednesday, according to casualty estimates on both sides of the border that have not been independently verified. The Indian army said on Friday a family was severely injured by an armed drone in Ferozepur in India's Punjab state near the Pakistani border. Tourists and villagers fled border zones, residents rushed to stockpile food and people were told to stay indoors in Kashmir and beyond. India's cricket board on Friday suspended the IPL - the sport's richest tournament - and the Pakistan Super League postponed its remaining eight matches. The relationship between India and Pakistan has been fraught with tension since they gained independence from colonial Britain in 1947. The countries have fought three wars, two of them over Kashmir, and clashed many times. In Washington, the White House said U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio was in constant contact with the leaders of both countries and reiterated that President Donald Trump wants to see the conflict de-escalate. CLASHING ACCUSATIONS India responded with drones on targets in Pakistan and destroyed one air defence system, Indian Air Force officer Vyomika Singh told a media briefing. Pakistan Information Minister Attaullah Tarar had dismissed earlier Indian accusations of Pakistani attacks as "baseless and misleading" and said Pakistan had not carried out any "offensive actions". In Pakistani Kashmir, officials said heavy shelling from across the border killed five civilians, including an infant, and wounded 29 others in the early hours of Friday. The fighting is the deadliest since a limited conflict between the two countries in Kashmir's Kargil region in 1999. Sirens blared for more than two hours earlier on Friday in Amritsar, which houses the Golden Temple revered by Sikhs. Tourists fled the city by road as the airport was closed. "We really wanted to stay but the loud sounds, sirens, and blackouts are giving us sleepless nights. Our families back home are worried for us so we have booked a cab and are leaving," said a British national who did not want to be named. Schools and coaching centres were closed in the Bikaner region of India's desert state of Rajasthan, and residents near the Pakistan border said they were told to consider moving in with relatives elsewhere or using government-arranged accommodation. Further south in Bhuj in Gujarat, authorities said tourist buses were on standby in case they needed to evacuate people near the Pakistan border. Indian shares fell for a second straight session on Friday, losing about $83 billion in market value, with both key stock indexes down 1.1%. Pakistan's benchmark share index closed 3.52% higher with traders crediting a fall off in violence in Pakistani territory after Thursday's clashes. © Thomson Reuters 2025.
