Dubai signs deal to build infrastructure in occupied Kashmir: Indian govt

Published
167
Indian Trade Minister Piyush Goyal said “the world has started to recognise the pace [at] which Jammu and Kashmir is traversing on the development bandwagon.” — AFP/File
Indian Trade Minister Piyush Goyal said “the world has started to recognise the pace [at] which Jammu and Kashmir is traversing on the development bandwagon.” — AFP/File

Dubai has signed an accord to build infrastructure in Indian occupied Kashmir, the Modi government said on Monday, at a time when the region is seeing a resurgence in violence.

No figure for the value of the accord was given.

The memorandum of understanding by Dubai, one of the UAE's seven emirates, is the first investment agreement by a foreign government in the sensitive region following the stripping of Kashmir's autonomy and the division of the Muslim-majority state into two territories directly ruled from New Delhi.

The New Delhi government said the agreement will see Dubai building infrastructure including industrial parks, IT towers, multi-purpose towers, logistics centres, a medical college and a speciality hospital.

“The world has started to recognise the pace [at] which Jammu and Kashmir is traversing on the development bandwagon,” Indian Trade Minister Piyush Goyal said in a statement.

The statement said different entities from Dubai had shown keen interest in investment in Kashmir.

However, investment is fraught with risks in the heavily militarised region as evidenced by a spate of attacks on civilians and a widespread crackdown by security forces that has left several people dead.

On Monday, Indian authorities moved thousands of migrant workers in Kashmir to safer locations overnight while hundreds have fled the Himalayan valley after a wave of targeted killings.

Opinion

Editorial

Urban flooding
Updated 02 Aug, 2026

Urban flooding

THE warning from the disaster management and weather authorities that a new monsoon spell could trigger urban...
Fatal workplaces
02 Aug, 2026

Fatal workplaces

THE methane explosion near Quetta that killed 34 coal miners is the latest entry in Pakistan’s long register of...
Dual standards
02 Aug, 2026

Dual standards

IT appears that the Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party has fallen foul of the Election Commission of Pakistan. A...
Maritime alliance
Updated 01 Aug, 2026

Maritime alliance

AS the US-Iran war drags on, new battle lines are being drawn. The pro-US Gulf Arab monarchies and Iran have enjoyed...
Local governance
01 Aug, 2026

Local governance

INTERIOR Minister Mohsin Naqvi’s speech at a business summit on Thursday has stirred a hornet’s nest. His...
Murders in Balochistan
01 Aug, 2026

Murders in Balochistan

GOOD news is scarce in Balochistan. Seven labourers were abducted and gunned down in Turbat city recently. Four...