NEW DELHI, Oct 8: Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will visit Jammu and Kashmir on Saturday where he is expected to announce some important peace measures with Pakistan, news reports said on Wednesday.

No details were given about the likely steps Mr Singh may announce to improve ties with Islamabad, but his visit coincides with the arrival of a business delegation from Azad Kashmir.

Mr Singh will also flag off the first train connecting Srinagar to central Kashmir during his two-day-visit to the disputed region.

Press Trust of India said the prime minister would flag off the first train from Nowgam (the station for Srinagar) to Budgam on Saturday.

Though it is a short distance between the two stations, it will be for the first time that the Kashmiris will see a train running in the valley.

“During the function, the prime minister will be addressing people and was also likely to make some announcements regarding the Indo-Pak ties,” the report said. Mr Singh will first inaugurate the controversial 450 MW Baglihar hydroelectric project in Doda region.

A team of elite Special Operations Group along with other security agencies arrived in Srinagar on Tuesday accompanied by a plane full of security paraphernalia.

Opinion

Editorial

More pledges
25 May, 2024

More pledges

THE administration’s campaign to bring Gulf investment to Pakistan continues apace, with the prime minister...
Pemra overreach
25 May, 2024

Pemra overreach

IT seems, at best, a misguided measure and, at worst, an attempt to abuse regulatory power to silence the media. A...
Enduring threat
25 May, 2024

Enduring threat

THE death this week of journalist Nasrullah Gadani, who succumbed to injuries after being attacked by gunmen, is yet...
IMF’s unease
Updated 24 May, 2024

IMF’s unease

It is clear that the next phase of economic stabilisation will be very tough for most of the population.
Belated recognition
24 May, 2024

Belated recognition

WITH Wednesday’s announcement by three European states that they intend to recognise Palestine as a state later...
App for GBV survivors
24 May, 2024

App for GBV survivors

GENDER-based violence is caught between two worlds: one sees it as a crime, the other as ‘convention’. The ...