Internet Restored in Seven of Kashmir Districts
Kashmir, MINA – Limited internet facilities were restored in the two northern districts of Kashmir Valley and five Muslim-majority districts in the Jammu region in India run by Jammu and Kashmir on Saturday. It was based on orders issued by the government.
But Internet Service Providers (ISPs) have been asked to exclude social networking sites and only allow “white-listed” sites, Anadolu Agency reported.
Earlier on January 10, the Indian Supreme Court ordered the Indian Government within a week to lift a six-month internet ban in the region.
Then the authorities complied with it by restoring 2G services on January 14 in five Hindu-majority districts in the Jammu region and restoring broadband connectivity to hospitals, e-banking, and institutions involved in tourism, commerce.
The Kupwara and Bandipora districts in Kashmir will get 2G services but eight other districts will still need to be without internet until further notice.
Telephone and internet connectivity was closed last August, as one of the Indian Government’s actions to prevent widespread unrest protested against the abolition of regional autonomy.
As many as 100,000 troops have been deployed in anticipation of mass protests, while thousands of people, including separatist leaders and pro-India politicians were arrested.
The government ordered on Saturday also announced prepaid cell phone services, which had been suspended since 4 August, restored across the state. Only “voicemail and SMS” must be restored for now only after verifying customer credentials.
In the Kashmir Valley, ISPs are also required to provide fixed internet connection to IT companies.
Minister’s visit
The partial recovery of 2G services, prepaid and landlines, either partially or completely, coincided with the visit of 36 Indian Cabinet Ministers from the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party in India.
The visit, according to the government, aims to interact with residents and inform them “about development policies relating to the development of the entire Jammu Territory, Kashmir and its people, along with the steps taken by the Indian government especially in the last five months.”
The Supreme Court stated in its decision, “Freedom of speech and expression through the Internet is” an integral part of Article 19 (1) (A) of the constitution, “and any” expression of dissent or disagreement with government decisions cannot be a reason for internet suspension “. (T/R7/RE1)
Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)
