OCCUPIED SRINAGAR: India’s prime minister promised peace and development for Illegally Indian Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) on Sunday, during his first public event in the disputed territory since it imposed a sweeping security clampdown nearly three years ago.

Narendra Modi’s Hindu nationalist government has sought to quell a long-running insurgency in IIOJK and strengthen its hold over the Muslim-majority region.

India nullified the area’s limited autonomy in August 2019, when authorities arrested thousands and imposed the world’s longest internet shutdown, seeking to forestall local opposition to the move.

Kashmiris observe black day as Modi visits IIOJK

Tight security was in place for Modi’s appearance at Palli village in occupied Jammu, the Hindu-majority southern part of the territory, which celebrated New Delhi’s introduction of direct rule as a defence.