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Saudi Gazette
2 days ago
- Politics
- Saudi Gazette
World's highest railway bridge opens in conflict-hit Kashmir
SRINAGAR — The world's highest railway bridge, an ambitious piece of engineering across a mountain valley in Kashmir, was opened Friday by Indian Prime Minister Narenda Modi, just weeks after a deadly tourist massacre in the Himalayan region sparked a brief conflict with neighboring Pakistan. Modi's visit to India-administered Kashmir was his first since a brief but deadly conflict between India and Pakistan in April. The nuclear-armed neighbors traded missiles, drones, and artillery shelling for four days after New Delhi blamed the massacre on its neighbor, which Pakistan denies. Decades in the making, the arched Chenab Bridge sits 359 meters (about 1,180 feet) above the river of the same name – that's 29 meters (over 95 feet) higher than the top of the Eiffel Tower. Costing more than $160 million with a length of 1,315 meters (4,314 feet), the bridge is part of the first railway link between Kashmir and the rest of India. Modi's Hindu-nationalist government has moved to integrate the Muslim-majority region with the rest of the country, including revoking a constitutional provision that allowed it to set its own laws in 2019. The Himalayan region of Kashmir is claimed by India, Pakistan and China. All three administer a part of the region, one of the most militarized zones in the world. In addition to the Chenab Bridge, Modi also inaugurated the Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Rail Link project, which connects key cities in India-administered Kashmir to the rest of India. For Modi, who swept to power more than a decade ago on a ticket of nationalism and a promise of future greatness, investments in infrastructure like the Chenab Bridge and the broader rail link project can be seen as a powerful tool for social integration and political influence. Since he was first elected in 2014, the prime minister has rapidly expanded the region's road and rail connectivity, building networks that connect disparate towns with major cities. In 2019, New Delhi revoked a constitutional provision giving India-administered Kashmir the autonomy to set its own laws. The southern and eastern portions of the region known previously as the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir became two separate union territories, bringing them under direct control of New Delhi – a move Modi claimed would promote stability, reduce corruption and boost the economy. The Chenab Bridge is being hailed as a major win for Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party government. His administration has poured billions into upgrading India's old and outdated transport network, part of its vision to transform the country into a developed nation by 2047. Among these ambitious projects is the construction of several tunnels and highways in the mountainous Himalayan region which has been criticized by some environmentalists who say the heavy construction could damage fragile topography already feeling the effects from the climate crisis. Modi's Char Dham Highway project, a multimillion-dollar infrastructure plan to improve connectivity in the state of Uttarakhand, came under fire in November 2023 when an under-construction mountain tunnel collapsed, trapping dozens of workers inside for several days with little water and oxygen. In August that year, more than a dozen workers were killed after a bridge under construction collapsed in the northeastern state of Mizoram. In June, a four-lane concrete bridge that was being built across the River Ganges in the eastern state of Bihar collapsed for the second time in just over a year, raising questions about the quality of its construction. — CNN
Time of India
26-04-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Allow me to cross border: Iranian national stuck in India appeals to PM Modi
Live Events (You can now subscribe to our (You can now subscribe to our Economic Times WhatsApp channel Iranian national, Ahelam, is left stranded in India after the government announced the immediate closure of the integrated check post (ICP) at while speaking to on Saturday, highlighted her plight as she possesses a visa by road. She said the officials disallowed her from crossing the border, as only Pakistani nationals have been permitted to walk through."Yes, this is the only way I cross from Pakistan to Iran. This is the only border. I have a tourist visa by road. Now I'm requesting the Home Minister to kindly give me permission to go to my country from this Wagah Border because my country is Iran," she said."They say only Pakistani nationals can go back [from Wagah Border], but we are Iranians and the Iranian road is this way only. There is a reason why we travel in our private vehicle. I'm travelling alone. I'm the only person in this vehicle," she Iranian national found herself in a murky situation amid the government's countermeasures following the Pahalgam terror attack , the central government revoked all categories of visas issued to Pakistani citizens, except long-term visas, diplomatic and official visas, with immediate effect from April 27. However, medical visas issued to Pakistani nationals will be valid only till April 29."I was here from yesterday. I'm actually very sorry for the deaths of the tourists. I'm also a tourist, but now I'm suffering...I seek permission from PM Narenda Modi and from the Home Minister to cross this border and go back to my home in Iran," she called India her "second home" and asked the citizens to help her cross the border by pleading her case to the authorities."I appreciate the people of India. I love India. It is like my second home because I spent many years here. But I need your help to cross the border," she fresh decision taken by the MHA marks a sweeping policy shift aimed at tightening border security and regulating the presence of Pakistani nationals within the country following the deadly April 22 Pahalgam terror attack that killed 26 tourists.
Bloomberg
22-04-2025
- Business
- Bloomberg
India's Modi to Meet Saudi Crown Prince in Push for Closer Ties
Indian Prime Minister Narenda Modi is set to kick off a two-day trip to Saudi Arabia on Tuesday as he seeks to deepen ties with the major oil exporter and OPEC+ leader at a time of mounting global trade uncertainty. Modi will travel to Jeddah on the kingdom's Red Sea coast, where he will meet with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, engage in bilateral talks and visit Indian factory workers.
