Until Saturday, Jammu and Kashmir had been offline for six days straight. Internet services were cut off last week when the government arrested local political leaders and pushed through legislation to scrap Article 370. It was partially restored in time for Eid.
Images courtesy: Reuters
The government has partially restored Internet and phone services in the state in order to facilitate Friday prayers for Eid, but thousands of security personnel remain positioned across the valley.
The decision to ease restrictions was taken after National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, visited Srinagar and asked officials to ensure Kashmiris weren't harassed. The political leaders placed under house arrest however remain there.?
And though services have been resumed, it's still not great they were shut off in the first place, especially for such an extended period of time. It was the 51st shutdown imposed in the state in just 2019 so far.?
After the initial shutdown in Kashmir, Internet services were also interrupted in Kargil a few days later, after protests broke out against revocation of Article 370.
It's left the locals without access to news in many cases, with most even being unable to contact friends and family
Additionally the relaxation is only in cities like Jammu, with other locations closer to the border still remaining cut off. There have been no explanations for that either, aside from vague mentions of "maintaining law and order."
"The freedom from Article 370 is a reality. But another reality is that people have faced problems due to the precautionary measures (taken by the government). They are facing that too," PM Narendra Modi said last week.
It's unclear whether this relaxation of the curfew is temporary or will be expanded to an eventual overall reversal of Internet shutdown. Or worse, it might just be reimposed again in a few days. For the sake of the Kashmiris, one can only hope it's not the latter.