UDHAMPUR, April 13: Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Wednesday flagged off the first train on a service that would eventually link occupied Kashmir with India. The train between Jammu and Udhampur, about 55 kilometres further northeast, will eventually end in Baramulla, 55 kilometres west of Srinagar — all areas considered to be strongholds of anti-India fighters. Flagging off the first stretch of the route, which cost 5.1 billion rupees, Mr Singh declared that the entire project would be completed by 2007.

“We want to start a new phase in Jammu and Kashmir — a phase of not just peace but

also of prosperity and development,” Mr Singh told a rally at the inauguration ceremony organized under a heavy security blanket.

“When this route is completed, it will help promote trade, commerce and tourism in the region,” he added.—AFP