J&K social media curbs lifted after seven months

SRINAGAR: The Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) administration on Wednesday lifted the ban on social media enforced since the nullification on August 5 of the special status of the erstwhile state under Article 370 of the Constitution.

Soon after the ban was lifted, Iltija Mufti, the daughter of former J&K chief minister and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chief Mehbooba Mufti, took to Twitter and put out the following post: “My mother last tweeted on August 5 post abrogation of Article 370. Today as I tweet for the first time from Kashmir post decriminalisation of social media, I’ m swept by saudade & painful nostalgia. Will we ever heal? When will this nightmare end?”.

Iltija has been handling her Twitter handle since she was detained on August 5. Last month, Mufti was shifted to detention under the Public Safety Acty (PSA), which allows her to be held without trial for up to two years. She had been held in preventive custody earlier.

Iltija also questioned the “futility of the ban”. She tweeted: “Seems like J&K administration finally realised the futility of ban on SM [social media] since Kashmiris circumvented it through VPNs [virtual private networks]. Simply became a cat & mouse chase where Kashmiris outwit

THE ORDER MADE NO MENTION OF ALLOWING ACCESS TO SO-CALLED WHITELISTED WEBSITES AS HAD BEEN THE EARLIER NORM

ted state apparatus i.e.Big Brother.” Omar Abdullah, another former J&K chief minister and a National Conference leader, who too has been detained under the PSA, chose to maintain silence on Twitter --- despite being known to be a regular on the microblogging service --- even after the ban was lifted on Wednesday.

His Twitter timeline still shows his last post on August 5 before he was put under house arrest: “I’m especially concerned about the people living in the Pir Panchal & Chenab Valley regions. These areas have been very susceptible to attempts at communal violence. I hope the Govt has taken adequate precautions to ensure no communal trouble breaks out,” reads his last post. The administration of J&K, now a Union Territory, will allow unrestricted internet access with 2G speed, said Shaleen Kabra, principal secretary, home department. The new order is applicable only till March 17.

The order said mobile users with post-paid SIM will have access to internet services, but those with pre-paid SIMs will be able to access internet only after undergoing verification norms that are applicable for post-paid SIM subscribers. Internet connectivity will be available on fixed landline connections as well, it added.The order made no mention of allowing access to so-called whitelisted websites as had been the earlier norm. The J&K government started reviewing the restrictions on the internet following the Supreme Court’s January 10 directive to review the ban on internet services in the newly formed Union Territory (UT) every week.

“There are no restrictions except those specified above. The whitelisting process for websites is over,” said a senior home department official on condition of anonymity. On February 24, the J&K home department had announced 1,674 “whitelisted websites and domain extensions, which can be accessed in the UT”.

On January 24, the J&K administration had announced restoration of low-speed mobile internet and fixed landline connectivity in all districts in the UT.