Photos: Narendra Modi inaugurates ‘Chenab Rail Bridge’, a strategic link connecting Kashmir to rest of India

India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Jammu and Kashmir on Friday for the first time since the conflict with Pakistan last month, inaugurating the strategically vital Chenab Rail Bridge. Calling Kashmir “the crown jewel of India,” Modi launched development projects worth billions of dollars aimed at boosting the region’s connectivity and growth. Striding across the world’s highest railway arch, he declared it a “symbol of a rising India” and a “festival of unity and resolve.” The bridge, linking two mountains, is a key part of efforts to integrate the Muslim-majority region with the rest of the country.