Kashmiri journalists in January at a media center set up by government authorities in Srinagar. Indian authorities loosened internet restrictions in disputed Kashmir on Wednesday.
Photo:
Dar Yasin/Associated Press
NEW DELHI—India has loosened some restrictions on internet access for the Muslim-majority region of Kashmir, allowing residents direct access to social media for the first time in months, though the easing is temporary and for slow-speed connections.
The region’s authorities started allowing people on Wednesday evening to use the internet through 2G connections on their phones and interact with others on social media sites for the first time since last August, after the government announced an end to the special status of the state of Jammu and Kashmir.
“It will be slow, but it will work,” said Reyaz Mir, managing director of CNS Infotel Service, a private internet provider in Kashmir’s main city of Srinagar. “People here will be able to use
WhatsApp and
Twitter.”
India has been slowly reversing internet restrictions first imposed as part of New Delhi’s attempt to slow and stop the spread of potential backlash over its decision to strip the region of its special status.
Only cellphones connected to registered addresses would be allowed to surf, local authorities said, and fixed-line internet connections would only be allowed for customers who can be monitored.
The moves are “in the interest of the sovereignty and integrity of India, the security of the state and for maintaining public order,” the government order said.
The easing was slated for two weeks. The order and local government officials didn’t say what would happen after that period.
India’s highest court ruled in January that indefinite suspension of internet services in Kashmir was unconstitutional. Lawmakers in the U.S. and European Union have repeatedly called on Indian authorities to curb the restrictions.
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The restrictions in Kashmir and other policies “abrogate the rights of different segments of its Muslim population, threatening the democratic future of a country long seen as a potential bulwark of freedom in Asia and the world,” said Sarah Repucci of Freedom House, a U.S.-based pro-democracy nonprofit, in a recent report.
India imposed a communications lockdown on the region on Aug. 5, when it stripped the state of the relative autonomy it had enjoyed for decades, along with its own flag and constitution. It rounded up much of the region’s political class and has flooded it with thousands of extra troops.
The disputed Kashmir region is claimed by both India and Pakistan, and many Kashmiris want independence from India. Indian authorities say the measures were necessary to prevent violent protests and thwart attempts by outsiders to incite the local populace.
The internet shutdown has been the longest such ban imposed by a democracy. There were more than 4,000 hours of internet blackouts last year in India, costing its economy about $1.3 billion in lost commerce and productivity, according to U.K.-based technology-research firm Top10VPN.
Residents were happy with the restoration of internet services, said Saqib Rehman Dar, a Srinagar taxi driver who has been interacting with friends and family through WhatsApp for the first time this year.
“We are happy,” he said. “Things are getting better.”
The daughter of a local political leader said the easing of restrictions would make little difference as motivated Kashmiris were already getting online by using virtual private networks to hide their locations.
Iltija Mufti, daughter of the detained head of the Peoples Democratic Party—one of the dominant local parties—said the people of the region weren’t going to be silenced on the internet.
“Kashmiris circumvented it through VPNs,” she tweeted through the account of her mother, Mehbooba Mufti. “Kashmiris outwitted state apparatus i.e. Big Brother.”
Ms. Mufti has been using the Twitter account to criticize the government since her mother’s detention in August.
Both detained leaders had worked closely with the central government during terms as Jammu and Kashmir’s chief minister. While they often campaigned for more independence for the state and Ms. Mufti’s party advocated self-rule, both supported being a part of India. The two regional parties provided a moderate alternative to the separatist movement for the 12.5 million residents of Jammu and Kashmir.
Both are being held under a law that allows for detention without trial for up to two years. The government said last month that they wouldn’t be released soon.
The next important discussion of restrictions in Kashmir will come in the Supreme Court and is expected as soon as this month. A petition demanding the release of another detained regional leader—Omar Abdullah, leader of the National Conference—is up for consideration by India’s highest court.
The hearing on the issue, which was supposed to start on Thursday, has been moved to March 17.
Write to Vibhuti Agarwal at [email protected]
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