(Adnkronos) – Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Kashmir for the first time since the beginning of the conflict with Pakistan, inaugurating a strategic railway line in the contested region, which he called “the jewel in the crown of India”. Modi defined the new structure as “an extraordinary architectural undertaking” that “will improve connectivity” by providing the first rail link from the Indian plains to mountainous Kashmir. During the inauguration, Modi also announced further economic aid for families affected by last month’s clashes with Pakistan. “Their problems are our problems,” the prime minister stressed.
“Pakistan will never forget its shameful defeat,” the Hindu nationalist premier told the crowd, a month after Indian attacks against its neighbor, adding that “Today’s event is a great celebration of Indian unity and our firm determination.” With 36 tunnels and 943 bridges, the new railway stretches for 272 kilometers and connects Udhampur, Srinagar and Baramulla, and has earned the title of “highest arch railway bridge in the world” for the Guinness World Record.
About 150 people protested against the project at the gates of Muzaffarabad, the capital of Pakistan-administered Kashmir. “We want to tell India that building bridges and roads in the name of development will not make the people of Kashmir give up their demand for freedom,” said Azir Ahmad Ghazali, organizer of the rally, which was attended by Kashmiris who fled the Indian side during the unrest of the 1990s. “In clear and unequivocal terms, we want to tell the Indian government that the people of Kashmir have never accepted India’s forced rule.”
