Most mobile phone connections in Indian-held Kashmir (IHK) will be restored, the Indian government said on Saturday after it imposed a shutdown of more than two months since ending the occupied region’s autonomy on August 5.
Indian government spokesman Rohit Kansal said the decision has been taken after a review of events in the restive Himalayan region. “All post-paid mobile phones irrespective of the telecom service provider will stand restored and be functional from noon on Monday,” he told a press conference, adding that the measure will apply to all districts of the occupied valley.
In the two months since India scrapped Article 370 which granted special autonomy to IHK, the Modi government has been widely censured for imposing complete information and communications blackout in the occupied valley. While Indian media insists the situation in the occupied region is ‘normal’, international media and organisations have reported grave human rights violations, including arrests and enforced disappearances of children and political leaders. They have also exposed the underreporting of deaths of Kashmiris killed by the occupying Indian forces.
Earlier this month, US Senator Chris Van Hollen was denied permission to visit the occupied region. “If the Indian government has nothing to hide, they should not worry about people visiting Kashmir and witnessing the situation with their own eyes,” emphasised the senator.
Van Hollen is one of nearly 50 members of a bipartisan group of US senators who have urged President Donald Trump to immediately intervene and persuade Modi to lift the curfew and end the communication blockade in IHK.
Presidential candidates Bernie Sanders and Kamala Harris have also highlighted the humanitarian crisis in the valley, while the US Senate Committee on Foreign Relations has also asked New Delhi to lift the curfew and release detainees.
