In somewhat of a relief for the people of Kashmir post the scrapping of Article 370, , postpaid mobile phones in all the districts of Kashmir will be restored starting Monday. This was announced by the Jammu and Kashmir Principal Secretary Rohit Kansal.
Internet connectivity, however, will remain suspended for now.
Kansal also told mediapersons that political leaders who have been detained will be gradually released. “The restrictions were imposed so that externally aided terrorism does not lead to loss of lives. These measures ensured no unnecessary loss of life. This is remarkable given what happened in 2008, 2010, and 2016,” he said.
Kansal also said that movement restrictions have been removed in 99 per cent of the area, and that tourists are now welcome to the state as well.
The government had lifted restrictions on the use of landline phones last month.
The removal of special status in August led to eyebrows being raised in the international community. Responding to a question by a magazine in Belgium last month, Foreign Minister S Jaishankar had said, “It wasn’t possible to stop communications between militants without impacting all of Kashmir. How do I cut off communication between the terrorists and their masters on the one hand but keep the Internet open for other people? I would be delighted to know.”
