Kashmir Prospered Since Its Special Status Was Revoked, Says India's Modi

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi visits the Indian side of Kashmir for the first time in five years, March 7, 2024. (Wasim Nabi for VOA) Security forces dug holes on the roads and placed wooden rafters in them to erect barricades, March 7, 2024. No one was allowed to enter or leave the confined zone ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's departure from the venue. (Wasim Nabi for VOA) Thousands of locals gathered at the Bakshi Stadium in Kashmir valley, March 7, 2024. Many, however, said they had been forced to participate in the event where Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi delivered a speech. (Wasim Nabi for VOA) Riyaz Ahmad, a resident of the Kangan area of Ganderbal district, voiced disappointment that he was not allowed to enter the stadium where Prime Minister Narendra Modi was interacting with locals, March 7, 2024. (Wasim Nabi for VOA) Thousands of people waited outside the Bakshi Stadium in the Wazir Bagh area of Srinagar, where Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke, March 7, 2024. (Wasim Nabi for VOA)

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday visited Indian Kashmir for the first time since his government stripped the Himalayan region of its semiautonomous status nearly five years ago.