Top government sources said that Pakistan is a terror state that “has been proven again and again” and Kashmiris also understand that all support offered by Pakistan is only to increase terror activities

India has rejected Pakistan’s statement on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Jammu and Kashmir, saying the “terror state” has no business to comment on the issue.

Earlier, Pakistan had rejected PM Modi’s visit on April 24 as “yet another ploy to project fake normalcy in the occupied territory”.

Pakistan also “strongly condemned” the laying of foundation stones for the construction of the Ratle and Kwar Hydroelectric Projects (HEP) on Chenab River.

“The construction of Ratle hydroelectric plant, as designed by India, has been disputed by Pakistan, and for Kwar Hydroelectric Plant India has so far not fulfilled its Treaty obligation of sharing information with Pakistan,” it said.

In his first visit to the region since his government scrapped the special status in August 2019, PM Modi interacted with the people and gram sabhas and flagged off numerous key projects. Top business leaders from the UAE also accompanied the PM on his visit, underlining the backing of industrialists and investors from a leading Islamic bloc as the BJP government pitched a new phase for J&K post-Article 370.

PM Narendra Modi laid the foundation stones for the 850 MW Ratle Hydroelectric Project and 540 MW Kwar Hydroelectric Project that is to be constructed on the Chenab river in Kishtwar district.

He also inaugurated the Banihal-Qazigund Road Tunnel, built at a cost of over Rs 3,100 crore. The 8.45 km long tunnel will reduce the road distance between Banihal and Qazigund by 16 km, and reduce journey time by around one and a half hours.

In addition, the PM laid the foundation stone of the Delhi-Amritsar-Katra Expressway and also inaugurated the 500KW Solar Power Plant at Palli village in Samba.

“I am here with a message of development. To give speed to development in J&K, projects worth over Rs 20,000 crore have been inaugurated today. This year Panchayati Raj Day is being celebrated in J&K. This signals a new development. Democracy has reached the grassroots level. The people of J&K were deprived of a 3-tier Panchayati Raj system for many years,” PM Modi was quoted as saying.

April 24 marked Modi’s first major visit to J&K since August 5, 2019. The prime minister had briefly visited J&K to celebrate Diwali with the armed forces in the Nowshera district on November 4, 2021. Before that, he had visited J&K in April 2019.