Modi opens ‘strategic tunnel’ near borders with Pakistan and China

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated a strategic Himalayan road tunnel designed to provide year-round access to high-altitude areas near the border zones of Pakistan and China.

On Monday, PM Modi visited the Z-Morh or Sonmarg Tunnel, a 6.4 km-long passage built under a treacherous mountain route that typically remains closed for half the year due to heavy snowfall.

The tunnel will link the Illegally Indian-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) to Ladakh, easing travel along the Srinagar-Leh Highway throughout the year.

Constructed at a cost of $330 million, the project took over a decade to complete.

India is actively working on improving road linkages in the contested region, an area of geopolitical rivalry with China as both nations vie for influence in South Asia.

India and China share a 3,500 km-long border that has been prone to tensions, with deadly clashes occurring in 2020. Although tensions have eased following an agreement to patrol the disputed border zones, the region remains a flashpoint.

In addition to the Z-Morh Tunnel, the Indian government plans to open another 13 km-long strategic Zojila Tunnel along the same route by 2026.

For the first time, the disputed region of Kashmir will also be connected to the lowland plains via a $3.9 billion railway line currently under construction.

This includes the world’s highest rail bridge, the ‘Chenab Rail Bridge,’ which is also nearing completion.