[Today’s Prayer] India Opens Railway Connecting Disputed Kashmir... Modi Says “Development Will Continue”

India has inaugurated a railway line connecting Kashmir, a disputed region with Pakistan. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Kashmir for the first time since the armed clashes with Pakistan to attend the opening ceremony.

According to the Hindustan Times and other sources on the 7th, Indian Railways opened a 272 km railway line that starts from Udhampur, a military town in the Jammu region, passes through Srinagar—the central city of Kashmir—and reaches Baramulla near the Line of Control (LoC), the de facto border with Pakistan in the Himalayan region.

This railway is significant as it strengthens central control over Kashmir.

Kashmir has been at the center of conflict between India and Pakistan. At the time of independence from Britain, Kashmir had a Muslim-majority population, while the ruling class was mostly Hindu.

Though the residents wanted to join Pakistan, the ruler opted for independence. However, when Pakistan-backed militants invaded, the ruler decided to accede to India.

Since then, India and Pakistan have fought multiple wars over Kashmir, eventually leading to a division of control with the LoC as the boundary.

However, many residents of Indian-administered Kashmir have expressed dissatisfaction with Indian rule, and to this day, insurgent groups seeking independence or unification with Pakistan remain active.

In April, a terrorist attack targeting tourists in Kashmir was suspected to be carried out by such militants.

In response, the Indian government revoked Kashmir’s autonomous status through a constitutional amendment in 2019 and converted the region into a federally governed territory to tighten control.

Following the opening of the railway, protests were held in Pakistan-administered Kashmir by people who had fled from Indian-administered Kashmir. They declared, “Even if roads and bridges are built in the name of development, the people of Kashmir will never give up their demand for freedom,” and, “Kashmiris have never accepted India’s forced rule.”

Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs also issued a statement saying, “India’s claims of development sound hollow in the face of unprecedented military occupation, suppression of basic rights, arbitrary arrests, and systematic efforts to alter the region’s demographic structure.”

Source : News

“Oh sing to the Lord a new song, for he has done marvelous things! His right hand and his holy arm have worked salvation for him... Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth; break forth into joyous song and sing praises!” (Psalm 98:1, 4 )

Heavenly Father, we hear the news that India has opened a railway line connecting the disputed region of Kashmir with the rest of the country.

Though we cannot predict what this new railway will bring to the lives of the Kashmiris suffering from the India-Pakistan conflict, we pray that Jesus Christ, the Prince of Peace, would become the true ruler of Kashmir, and that the people crying out for freedom and independence may come to enjoy true freedom and peace through the gospel

Lord, You are the mighty One who turns evil into good and opens new paths. Let the railway tracks laid across Kashmir not become tools of division, but be used as a highway for the gospel.

May songs of praise never cease in every place where the gospel flows. Let us sing a new song to You and worship You, the Lord of salvation. From Jammu through Srinagar to Baramulla, may the sound of the gospel and joyful praise continuously resound along the railway.

Raise up the Church in both India and Pakistan to boldly proclaim the gospel in every area reached by the tracks and throughout Kashmir. As the gospel is preached, may every spirit of division and power of death be broken, and may the souls of Kashmir come before You with joy.

Unite the two lands long divided by religion and politics through the power of the gospel. By the power of the gospel, renew and restore the whole region of Kashmir so that endless conflicts may cease, and this land may become holy ground proclaiming the gospel throughout northern India and Pakistan.

May India and Pakistan be joined together as one body in Christ, to become a mighty instrument for the fulfillment of God’s Kingdom in the last days.

Raise up one million missionaries from India and one hundred thousand from Pakistan to boldly proclaim the gospel to all nations! Let the holy youth of the Lord rise up in all directions and prepare the way for the coming of Jesus Christ!