India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi is to make his first visit to the Muslim-majority Kashmir valley since revoking the region’s semi-autonomy in 2019.
Mr Modi will address a rally in Srinagar, just weeks before India’s general election dates are announced.
Reports say his Bharatiya Janata Party will mobilise thousands of people to attend the event amid tight security.
An armed revolt against Indian rule in the disputed territory has claimed tens of thousands of lives since the 1980s.
Revoking Article 370 of the Indian constitution had been a poll promise and Mr Modi’s government announced it soon after he won re-election in 2019. The article had granted significant autonomy to the state of Jammu and Kashmir, including the right to have its own flag, legislature, constitution and laws.
The state was the only one in India where Muslims formed the majority of the population. After the abrogation of Article 370, the state’s 12 million people were divided into two federally-administered territories – Jammu and Kashmir, and remote, mountainous Ladakh.
Tens of thousands of additional Indian troops were deployed ahead of the move, which shocked locals and upended normal life in the region – but was backed by many of Mr Modi’s supporters in India. Schools and colleges were shut in the former state, tourists ordered to leave, telephone and internet services suspended and local political leaders placed under house arrest or moved to jails in other parts of India.
Mr Modi’s visit on Thursday will set the tone for the BJP’s campaign in the region for the coming general election, analysts say. The BJP has not formed any alliance with any party ahead of the polls.
The prime minister could announce development projects for the region, like he did during his visit to Jammu, with its mostly Hindu population, in February, reports quoting BJP leaders suggest. In Jammu he had said that Article 370 had been an impediment to progress.
India’s Supreme Court upheld the abrogation of Article 370 in December – but said the government had promised to restore Jammu-Kashmir’s statehood and should do so as soon as possible.
Before addressing the public meeting, Mr Modi will visit Indian army headquarters in Srinagar. The presence of Indian forces is a contentious issue with security personnel accused of numerous human rights abuses and other excesses over decades.
Prior to Mr Modi’s visit, the streets of Srinagar were cleaned and bill boards put up to welcome him, reports say. Thousands of government officials are reported to have been asked to attend the public address and help run the event.
In order to guard the Bakshi stadium where Mr Modi will deliver his address, thousands of security personnel have been deployed. Vehicles moving in and out of Srinagar are being checked and people frisked.
Thursday’s visit is one among many events Mr Modi will attend before general election voting dates are announced. On Wednesday, he inaugurated an underwater metro rail tunnel in Kolkata in India’s West Bengal state.