India PM Modi opens strategic railway in contested crown jewel Kashmir

SRINAGAR - Prime Minister Narendra Modi made his first visit to Kashmir on June 6 since a conflict with arch-rival Pakistan, opening a strategic railway line to the contested region he called “the crown jewel of India”.

Mr Modi launched a string of projects worth billions of dollars for the divided Muslim-majority territory, the centre of bitter rivalry between India and Pakistan since their independence from British rule in 1947.

Nuclear-armed India and Pakistan fought a four-day conflict in May, their worst standoff since 1999, before a ceasefire was agreed on May 10.

“Pakistan will never forget... its shameful loss,” the Hindu nationalist premier told crowds a month since India launched strikes on its neighbour after an attack on tourists in Kashmir.

“Friends, today’s event is a grand festival of India’s unity and firm resolve,” Mr Modi said after striding across the soaring bridge to formally launch it for rail traffic.

“This is a symbol and celebration of rising India,” he said of the Chenab Bridge which connects two mountains.

New Delhi calls the Chenab span the “world’s highest railway arch bridge”, sitting 359m above a river.

While several road and pipeline bridges are higher, Guinness World Records confirmed that Chenab trumps the previous highest railway bridge, the Najiehe in China.

‘Our troubles’

Mr Modi said the railway was “an extraordinary feat of architecture” that “will improve connectivity” by providing the first rail link from the Indian plains up to mountainous Kashmir.

With 36 tunnels and 943 bridges, the new railway runs for 272km and connects Udhampur, Srinagar and Baramulla.

It is expected to halve the travel time between the town of Katra in the Hindu-majority Jammu region and Srinagar, the main city in Kashmir, to around three hours.

The new route will facilitate the movement of people and goods,