The Impressive TimesKATRA :Accusing Pakistan of attacking “insaaniyat and Kashmiriyat” by targeting tourists in Pahalgam last month, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said Friday that the intention of the attack was “to engineer communal clashes across the country and deprive people of Kashmir of their livelihood”.
Modi was speaking after he flagged off two Vande Bharat trains between Katra and Srinagar and inaugurated the world’s highest railway arch bridge over the Chenab as well as the country’s first cable-stayed bridge of the Indian Railways over Anji Khad. The 272 km Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla railway link (USBRL) Project is designed to provide all-weather connectivity by eventually linking the Kashmir Valley with the rest of the country.
The event comes over a month after 26 people – mostly tourists but also a local – were killed in a terror attack in Pahalgam, Kashmir, on April 22. It also comes on the eve of Eid.
In his speech Friday, Modi described tourism as an important mode of employment generation and said it was “unfortunate that our neighbouring country is not only opposed to humanity, harmony and tourism, but it is also against the livelihood of the poor”.
“What happened in Pahalgam on April 22 is an example of it,” he said. “Pakistan targeted tourism, which had been witnessing an upward trend with the arrival of a record number of tourists during the past 4-5 years. It attacked tourism to destroy the livelihood of the poor in Jammu and Kashmir — including ponywalas, porters, guides, guesthouse and dhaba owners.”
The prime minister, who began his address in Dogri, also paid tribute to Syed Adil Hussain Shah, a pony ride operator who was among those killed in the attack, in his speech. “Adil, who had gone there [to Pahalgam] to earn his livelihood and who challenged the terrorists was also killed by them,” Modi said.
The prime minister lauded the people of Jammu and Kashmir on their “spontaneous protests” over the terror attack.
“By standing up to the conspiracy of Pakistan and showing their strength, the people of Jammu and Kashmir have given a stern message to not only Pakistan but against the terrorist mindsets across the world. The youth in Jammu and Kashmir have made up their mind to give a befitting reply to terrorism, which has burnt school buildings and hospitals and destroyed the future of two generations,” he said.
There was so much destruction that for years, people had stopped having dreams and accepted their fate, he said. “It was necessary to bring them out of this situation and we have done it,” he added.
Referring to ‘Operation Sindoor’ – India’s strikes in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir and Pakistan — Modi said whenever Pakistan hears of the military operation, “it will be reminded of its humiliating defeat”.
“The Pakistan army and the terrorists had never thought of India attacking them hundreds of kilometres inside their territory in such a manner that the terror infrastructure raised by them over the years will turn into dust within minutes,” he said. “This baffled Pakistan and it started targeting civilians in Poonch and other districts by damaging houses, schools and hospitals. It also targeted temples, mosques and gurdwaras.”
Referring to the rail link, Modi said several generations had died even before seeing it, quoting Chief Minister Omar Abdullah as saying that he was in Class 8 when foundation stone of the project was first laid in 1983-84.
While talking about the Chenab and Anji bridges, he said these were not mere structures of steel and concrete but “living symbols of India’s strength and its roar of a bright future in hostile Pir Panjal ranges”.
“While walking on the Chenab and Anji bridges, I saw the determination and talent of our engineers and workers,” he said.
In addition to flagging off the Vande Bharat trains and inaugurating the bridges, Modi also laid the foundation stone and inaugurated Rs 46,000 crore-worth of development projects at Katra — the base camp for pilgrims visiting the Vaishno Devi shrine atop Trikuta hills in Reasi district.
Significantly, the 272-km USBRL project that was constructed at a cost of around Rs 43,780 crore has 36 tunnels spanning 119 km and 943 bridges.
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