Mobile net services restored in Kashmir

Mobile internet services were restored yesterday in Kashmir, two weeks after they were suspended in view of widespread student protests in the Valley against alleged high-handedness of security forces at a college in Pulwama on April 15.

Restrictions placed on accessing internet on mobile phones on April 17 have been lifted four days after the state government directed the internet service providers not to allow access to 22 websites and applications, observing they were being misused by anti-national elements to disturb peace in Kashmir.

Although the order to block access to the 22 websites was issued on Tuesday, it took the service providers four days to successfully ban them. However, one can gain access them through broadband services of staterun telecom operator BSNL and through virtual private networks.

The websites and applications which have been made inaccessible in the Valley include Facebook, Twitter, WhatsApp, WeChat, QQ, Qzone, Google Plus, Skype, Line, Pinterest, Snapchat, YouTube, Vine and Flickr. A police official said that 350 WhatsApp groups were being used to spread rumours in Kashmir.