
India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi made his first official visit to Kashmir's main city since New Delhi stripped the disputed region of semi-autonomy and took direct control of it in 2019. Addressing a crowd in a soccer stadium in Srinagar, Modi announced development projects and stated that previous governments had misled people over the region's now-scrapped special status.
Modi emphasized the region's progress since the 2019 move, expressing his commitment to winning the hearts of the people. He accused Kashmir’s pro-India parties of corruption, misleading Kashmiris, and promoting separatism, while Kashmiri politicians criticized Modi as divisive and anti-minority.