India announces agreement with Dubai for infrastructure investment in Jammu and Kashmir
MoU will see Dubai build infrastructure such as industrial parks, IT towers, logistic centres, medical colleges and hospitals
The Indian government has announced that it has signed an accord with Dubai to build infrastructure in Jammu and Kashmir, marking the first investment agreement by a foreign government in the troubled Himalayan region since the withdrawal of its autonomy and its division into two territories directly ruled from New Delhi.
According to a Reuters report, the memorandum of understanding will see Dubai – part of the UAE – building infrastructure such as industrial parks, IT towers, multi-purpose towers, logistics centres, a medical college, and a speciality hospital.
“The world has started to recognize the pace (at) which Jammu and Kashmir is traversing on the development bandwagon,” Indian Trade Minister Piyush Goyal said in a statement.
The statement added that several different entities from Dubai had shown keen interest in investing in the region.
Kashmir has seen a resurgence in violence with a spate of militant attacks on civilians amidst a widespread crackdown by security forces that has caused a number of casualties. Indian authorities have moved thousands of migrant workers in the state to safer locations, while hundreds have fled the valley after a wave of targeted killings.
The heavily militarised region is claimed in full by both India and Pakistan, but is ruled in parts by both.
