JAMMU, India — After months of negotiations, India’s governing Hindu nationalist party joined a regional party dominated by Muslims to create a state government in the disputed Kashmir region, the first time the Hindu party has ever held a leadership role here.
Amid heavy security, Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India flew to Jammu, the winter capital of the state, to attend the swearing-in ceremony on Sunday of Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, 79, who leads the Jammu and Kashmir People’s Democratic Party. The two men embraced, a hug that few observers would have thought possible as little as a year ago.
“History has given us a big opportunity, and we want to make this alliance the turning point for Kashmir,” Mr. Sayeed said in his first news conference as chief minister.
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Sameer Yasir reported from Jammu and Gardiner Harris from New Delhi.
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