Postpaid mobile services to be restored in Valley on Monday

SRINAGAR: The Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) administration on Saturday announced that post-paid mobile phone services will be restored in Kashmir from Monday after they were suspended following the Centre’s move to strip the state of its special status and to split it into two Union Territories on August 5.

A lockdown and communication blackout was imposed in Kashmir while hundreds of political workers and leaders, including former chief ministers Farooq Abdullah, Omar Abdullah, and Mehbooba Mufti, were detained to prevent protests against the change to J&K’s constitutional status and reorganisation. Most of the restrictions have since been eased while landline phone services were earlier restored in August.

J&K’s principal secretary, Rohit Kansal, said that the decision to restore the post-paid mobile services in all 10 districts

of Kashmir was taken after reviewing the situation. “All post-paid mobile phones, irrespective of the telecom service providers, will stand restored and be functional...” he said at a press conference in Srinagar.

Mobile phone services were earlier restored in 12 districts of Jammu and Ladakh in August and later in Kashmir’s Kupwara. Officials said that Kashmir has around seven million mobile phone users, and nearly four million of them have post-paid connections. The announcement of the restoration of post-paid mobile phones in Kashmir comes days after a group of US lawmakers on October 7 urged India to lift the restrictions, saying the communication blackout was “having a devastating impact on the lives and welfare of Kashmiris. The lawmakers said it is time for India to lift these restrictions and

afford “Kashmiris the same rights and privileges as any other Indian citizen”.

The move to restore post-paid mobile services is among a series of measures announced as part of efforts to restore normalcy in Kashmir, where a shutdown has continued despite an end to most restrictions.

The J&K administration earlier on Monday cancelled an advisory issued ahead of the revocation of the state’s special status that asked tourists to leave the Valley. It has also announced the schedule for board and college exams, and allowed a delegation of National Conference party leaders to meet Farooq and Omar Abdullah. Kansal referred to the move to lift the advisory and said that the restoration of post-paid mobile phone services will allow tourists to visit the state without being handicapped by the lack of connectivity. “Students can remain in touch with their parents while attending schools, businessmen can be in touch with their customers, and transporters can contact clients and contractors can be in touch with their staff,” Kansal said.

He said that internet facilities were being provided in tourist places. It was not immediately clear when internet services would be restored elsewhere in Kashmir. Kansal said that barring areas under the jurisdiction of eight to 10 police stations, restrictions on the movement of people has now been completely revoked. “There are absolutely no restrictions on the movement in over 99% areas...”

Kansal urged people not to be frightened by militant threats and to go about their normal activities. “The government is firm in its resolve that the attempts of these disruptive elements will be foiled,” he said.

Shops have largely remained shut and public transport off the roads even as the restrictions have been eased.

Kansal said that all the detentions were being continuously reviewed. “If there are persons, who are being detained, there are people who are being released as well. This is a dynamic process. The security situation will continue to be assessed in a dynamic manner and they will continue to be released and this will go on,” he said. Kansal said that there were inputs of “big terror attacks”. “Credible inputs continue to be received of the likelihood of large scale terrorist attacks sponsored by the forces inimical to the nation and from outside its borders. These attacks are meant not only to cause large scale damage to life and property but also to create an atmosphere of fear and terror among the people of J&K, the vast majority of whom are peace-loving.”

He said that restrictions were imposed in J&K to prevent “externally aided terrorists from disturbing the peace and inflicting causalities on innocent citizens”. He added that banned organisations such as Lashkar-eTaiba, Jaish-e-Mohammad and Hizbul Mujahideen continue to make attempts to terrorise the people. “It is now well established that there have been sustained attempts from across the border, both in the past and more so in the last two months to promote militancy and terrorism in J&K.”

SHOPS HAVE LARGELY REMAINED SHUT AND PUBLIC TRANSPORT OFF THE ROADS EVEN AS THE RESTRICTIONS HAVE BEEN EASED