Hindustan Times (Amritsar)

KARGIL GETS MOBILE NET BACK AFTER 144 DAYS

- Ashiq Hussain letters@hindustant­imes.com ■

SRINAGAR: On Friday, 144 days after mobile internet services were suspended across Jammu & Kashmir, and days after 72 companies of Central Armed Police Forces were withdrawn from the region, mobile internet was restored in the Kargil district of the new Union Territory of Ladakh.

THOUGH BROADBAND WAS ALREADY WORKING IN KARGIL AND DRASS, MOBILE INTERNET WAS RESTORED IN THE MORNING

SRINAGAR: On Friday, 144 days after mobile internet services were suspended across Jammu & Kashmir, and days after 72 companies of Central Armed Police Forces were withdrawn from the region, mobile internet was restored in the Kargil district of the new Union territory of Ladakh.

Government officials said the mobile internet was restored in the morning on Friday.

“Broadband was already working here. Mobile internet services were also restored in the morning in Kargil and Drass,”one of them added on condition of anonymity.

On August 5, after Parliament passed laws and resolution­s to split Jammu & Kashmir into two Union territorie­s, and scrapped constituti­onal provisions that gave the region special status and its residents special privileges, internet access in the erstwhile state was cut, amidst other restrictio­ns. Extra security forces were deployed and a security blanket shrouded the region.

Since then, many of the restrictio­ns have been eased although local leaders including former chief ministers Farooq Abdullah, Omar Abdullah, and Mehbooba Mufti remain in detention.

‘KARGIL REMAINED PEACEFUL ‘

Earlier this week, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) withdrew 72 companies of Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) from J&K.

“The ministry has decided to withdraw 72 companies of CAPFs (Central Reserve Police Force-24, Boder Security Force-12, Indo-Tibetan Border Police-12, Central Industrial Security Froce-12 and Sashastra Seema Bal-12) with immediate effect from Jammu and Kashmir,” the ministry said.

Musa Khan, a retired government official, welcomed the decision.

“Kargil largely remained peaceful, and due to this blockade our young generation was most affected due to this,” he said.

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