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A 12-member United Arab Emirates (UAE) business delegation that arrived in Srinagar on Friday to explore business opportunities in Kashmir is expected to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Jammu on Sunday afternoon.
During Modi’s one-day visit to Jammu on April 24, a groundbreaking ceremony for the Rs 38,082 crore industrial development proposal will be held in the presence of prominent industrialists including a UAE delegation.
Before heading to Jammu, the delegation will visit several tourist destinations, including Gulmarg and Pahalgan in Kashmir, to study the scope of investment in the tourism and hospitality industry.
The delegation plans to interact with Srinagar’s local business community, and after Eid al-Fitr, they will travel to Pali Mahal and then take a boat trip on the famous Dal Lake.
Several Emirati companies have pledged to invest in J&K during Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha’s visit to Dubai in January. Last month, 30 CEOs from Gulf countries visited Srinagar and spoke with several business groups here.
The UAE was one of the first countries to respond positively to India’s decision to repeal Article 370 of the constitution in August 2019.
Experts call the UAE’s investment in J&J a brilliant diplomatic and political move. “An important OIC country like the UAE investing in UT means they recognise Kashmir as an integral part of India,” a professor of political science at the University of Kashmir told DH.
“This is a setback for Pakistan as the neighbouring country has been mobilizing the OIC on Kashmir. If the UAE’s investment is successful, then Saudi Arabia and other Gulf countries may follow suit,” he said.
“By coming forward, the UAE is sending a strong message to OIC and the world that it should focus on building a strong relationship with India and not be swayed by the narrative that Pakistan has built,” the professor added.
The visit by the UAE delegation also confirmed the Foreign Office’s statement that US Congresswoman Ilhan Omar was visiting Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.
“She visited a part of J&K that is currently illegally occupied by Pak. If such a politician wants to practice her parochial politics at home, it may be her business, but it is ours to violate our territorial integrity in her pursuit. Condemned (sic),” MEA on Ilhan Omar interview PoK.
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