Political parties, cutting across affiliations and ideologies, welcomed the Kashmir rail link on Friday, inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, hoping for a boost in trade and tourism in the valley.
The ruling National Conference (NC) termed the rail link a good start.
"It is a good start for us. It will help ease the difficulties we have faced in transportation, and tourism and other sectors," NC leader and MLA Pampore, Justice Hasnain Masoodi (retd), told reporters here.
He also at the same time said the rights and constitutional guarantees of the people of J-K must also be honoured.
"The train has chugged, but the promises also need to be kept. The old promises, made when we joined hands with them, should be honoured," the former Lok Sabha MP said, referring to the promises made with the people of J-K at the time of accession.
"This vehicle can only move forward well when both of its tyres -- development and political aspirations -- run well. Then only can the whole nation benefit," he added.
PDP president Mehbooba Mufti welcomed the train to Kashmir, terming the project a culmination of what so many governments worked on and capped by the Modi government.
"We welcome the train. The work had been on for the past 40 years, ever since Indira Gandhi started the Jammu-Udhampur railway link in 1983. All governments have worked on this project, and Modi has completed it. It was very difficult, but he has done it, and people are happy with it," Mufti said.
Reacting to the prime minister's address in Katra, the former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister said she was happy that Modi acknowledged the people's categorical denunciation of terrorism in the aftermath of the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack.
"I am also happy that Modi has acknowledged the stand taken by the people of Kashmir against terrorism after the Pahalgam attack. He appreciated Adil Shah, who laid down his life while saving a tourist. This is who Kashmiris are," she said.
Another PDP leader and Pulwama MLA, Waheed Para, said the train straddled centuries of separation.
"As train now reaches the soul of Kashmir crossing not just mountains, but centuries of silence and separation. The Chenab Bridge is more than steel; it is healing in motion, and a long-awaited vision made real," Para said on X.
He said Kashmir's future lies not in "isolation", but "in becoming a gateway as (Sufi saint) Shah-e-Hamdan (Mir Syed Ali Hamdani) once walked paths that linked this land to Central Asia.
"Let all roads converge here. Through Kashmir, India opens its gates to the region, and to the world. No longer be the edge, Kashmir is the bridge to South and Central Asia," he said.
The J-K unit of BJP described the completion of the Udhampur-Baramulla rail link as a "historic moment", and called the project a "precious Eid gift" for the people of the Union Territory.
"The Udhampur-Baramulla railway connectivity is not just a feat of engineering, but a symbol of hope, development, and national integration. This is truly a historic moment for Jammu and Kashmir," BJP's J-K spokesperson Altaf Thakur said.
He said, "This is yet another testament to PM Modi's unwavering commitment to the development and progress of J-K." Thakur hailed the project as one of the most significant infrastructure achievements in recent times and said it will benefit everyone, especially those from the far-flung and economically weaker regions.
Hurriyat Conference chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq also welcomed the railway link.
He, however, also asked the prime minister to release political prisoners from J-K if he sincerely sought to reduce the mistrust.
Addressing the Friday congregation at the historic Jama Masjid here, the Mirwaiz said all prisoners, including political leadership, remain in the prayers and thoughts of the people.
The government of India should, as a goodwill gesture, release these prisoners on the occasion of Eid, he said.
"If the prime minister truly seeks to reduce the 'dil ki doori' (distance of hearts) which he often mentions in his speeches, then such humanitarian steps are the real way forward. Train links are welcome, but it is the human links that truly matter and endure," the Mirwaiz said.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
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