UAE business delegation to meet Modi in Jammu on April 24

The delegation is scheduled to interact with the local business community in Srinagar and after Iftar will take a trip to Pari Mahal followed by a boat ride at Dal Lake

A 12-member business delegation from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) who 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, ground breaking ceremony for Rs 38,082-crore industrial development proposals will be held in the presence of eminent industrialists, including the UAE delegation.

Before travelling to Jammu, the visiting delegation will visit various tourist destinations, including Gulmarg and Pahalgam in Kashmir to study the scope of investment in the tourism and hospitality sectors.

The delegation is scheduled to interact with the local business community in Srinagar and after Iftar, they are taking a trip to Pari Mahal followed by a boat ride at the famous Dal Lake.

Several UAE-based companies had made commitments to invest in J&K during Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha’s visit to Dubai in January. Last month 30 CEOs from the Gulf countries visited Srinagar and interacted with several business groups here.

The UAE was one of the first countries that had responded favourably to India’s decision to scrap Article 370 of the Constitution in August 2019.

Experts have called UAE's investment in J&K a masterstroke on the diplomatic as well as a political front. “An important OIC country like UAE investing in the UT implies that they recognise Kashmir is India’s integral part,” a professor of political science at Kashmir University told DH.

“It is a setback for Pakistan as the neighbouring country has been mobilising the OIC group on Kashmir. If UAE investments become successful, then Saudi Arabia and other Gulf countries may follow,” he said.

“By coming forward, the UAE has sent a strong message to the OIC and the world that it should focus on building strong relations with India rather than getting swayed by the narrative built by Pakistan,” the professor added.

The UAE delegation’s visit has also substantiated the Ministry of External Affairs' assertion regarding US Congresswoman Ilhan Omar’s visit to Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.

“She visited a part of J&K currently illegally occupied by Pak. If such a politician wishes to practice her narrow-minded politics at home that may be her business, but violating our territorial integrity in its pursuit makes this ours. Condemnable (sic),” MEA on Ilhan Omar’s visit to PoK.

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