Singh helps start Kashmir train service

JAMMU, India, Oct. 11 (UPI) -- Indian Prime Minster Manmohan Singh said at the inauguration of a new train service for Kashmir that the region's future should be "bright."

Appearing alongside Railway Minister Laloo Prasad and dozens of other top officials, Singh helped initiate the first train service for the controversial Indian-administered region this week, the BBC reported Saturday.

"Our intention is that the future of Kashmir should be socially, economically and politically bright," Singh said at Friday's event.

The new train service for Kashmir comes after India and Pakistan have been mired a property dispute regarding the region for more than 50 years. The region has also been the battleground for a Muslim insurgency since 1989, the BBC said.

Since August alone, nearly 30 people have died in Kashmir as a result of security force clashes.

The BBC said Singh's dedication of the railway and a regional dam on Friday came as a series of protests took place in Kashmir. Those protests resulted in at least 75 people being injured.