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.