Editorial Snapshot: 12-June-2025
Bad blood: On India-Canada ties
Ten years after his last visit, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to attend the G-7 summit outreach in Kananaskis, Canada, from June 15–17, 2025, as a special invitee. The invitation from Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney—extended despite bilateral tensions—signals a potential reset in India-Canada relations. The strained ties stem from Canadian allegations in 2023 implicating India in the assassination of Khalistani activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar and threats against Canadian citizens, leading to diplomatic downgrades and suspension of trade talks.Despite these challenges, the shared economic interests and deep people-to-people connections (with over 1.86 million Indian-origin residents in Canada) provide strong grounds for reconciliation. Both sides recognize the importance of a respectful diplomatic approach, and Modi has agreed to a law enforcement dialogue addressing mutual security concerns. While the summit cannot solve all disputes, it may open a path to better engagement through behind-the-scenes, sustained diplomatic efforts.
Connecting bridge: On the Chenab Rail Bridge
The historic completion of the 272-kilometre Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Rail Link (USBRL), 28 years in the making, has connected Kashmir to India’s national rail network for the first time, symbolizing unity “from Kashmir to Kanniyakumari.” Overcoming the challenging Himalayan terrain, the project includes engineering feats like the Chenab Rail Bridge—the world’s highest railway arch bridge—and the Anji Khad Bridge, India’s first cable-stayed railway bridge. The project involved 36 tunnels and 943 bridges, built at a cost of ₹43,780 crore.The Vande Bharat Express, now operational between Srinagar and Katra, reduces travel time to three hours and will soon connect Delhi to Srinagar in just 13 hours. This connectivity is expected to dismantle psychological barriers, boost economic growth, and transform Jammu and Kashmir’s development prospects. Coming shortly after cross-border tensions and terror attacks, the railway link is seen as a strategic and symbolic move toward integrating Kashmir with the rest of India, with Prime Minister Modi calling it “a symbol of a new, empowered J&K.”
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