By midnight Friday, many people in Jammu and Kashmir were glued to their mobile phones as authorities slowly restored 4G internet. Although there were also common problems with the restoration on Saturday, many young people were eager to experience the seamless transmission of video and digital data after 18 months.
While people were relieved by the restoration of what has become an important part of modern life, many in the region demanded apologies and compensation from the government and cell phone companies for denying their right for so long.
“It is good that they have restored the Internet because it was the need of the moment, but I do not think there is no emotion since people are aware that they have lost a lot in this year and a half. We lost our dignity, our statehood and, most importantly, our special status, “said Tariq Ahmad, 19, a Srinagar university student.
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The authorities suspended 4G mobile internet services on August 4, 2019, a day before the central government repealed Article 370, which granted special privileges to Jammu and Kashmir, and forked it into two Union territories: J&K with a legislative assembly and Ladakh without one. The government also imposed restrictions on the movement of people, suspended call services to landlines and mobiles, fearing widespread protests in the restless region.
Although the restrictions were lifted after a few months, postpaid mobile services came back to life on October 14, 2019. On January 1, 2020, short message service (SMS) was restored to all mobile phones and mobile phones. Broadband Internet services in government-run hospitals. .
Political analyst and author Gowhar Geelani said the 4G restoration was “a favor.” “After having taken away your right to high-speed Internet service for 18 months (more than 550 days) – in addition to suspending all civil liberties – restoring the Internet (supposedly) is not something to celebrate. In fact, it is a time to reflect on how you can seek compensation from cell phone companies that accepted money for services they have not provided for so long, ”he said.
Habeel Iqbal, a lawyer for the Shopian district in southern Kashmir, said authorities should repair the damage done due to the internet ban. “Kashmir requires ‘reparation’ which in legal terms is the process and result of repairing the damage or injury caused by an illegal act. There are five forms of repair that include compensation and a guarantee that it will not be repeated, ”he said.
Senior journalist Riyaz Masroor said they should sincerely apologize for restoring 4G in Kashmir. “The fundamental right should not be billed as an incentive or a concession,” he wrote on Twitter.
The Jammu and Kashmir administration restored low speed (2G) mobile internet and fixed line connectivity in all districts with access to a whitelist of around 301 websites in January 2020, following the directive of January 10, the Supreme Court to review the ban on Internet services in the UT every week. The move came after a request from the executive editor of a local newspaper, Anuradha Bhasin, in August 2019.
Bhasin had said that the government was not offering charity to the people. “In fact, I see some struggling to thank government officials for the restoration of 4G. They don’t offer us charity. We should ask for compensation for our deprivations and losses, ”he said in a tweet.
“Why do I have this strange feeling that this 4G restoration has less to do with the J&K people and more to do with the international image due to the farmers’ outcry?” He said.
In August 2020, high-speed Internet (4G) was restored in two districts of J&K, Ganderbal and Udhampur, according to parameters established by a special committee after the central government told the Supreme Court that restrictions on Internet services High-speed mobile internet will be relaxed in one district of each of UT’s Jammu and Kashmir divisions after August 15 on a trial basis.
The Supreme Court was hearing a petition filed by the Foundation for Media Professionals, a non-governmental organization, last June, seeking the initiation of a contempt process against the Center and the JK administration for failing to comply with the instructions of May 11. of the superior court to review the restrictions on mobile Internet speed in the territory of the Union.
Guftar Ahmad, a political activist from the Jammu division who works for the welfare of tribes and nomads, said that after the restoration of 4G, now the government should also restore Article 370. “After creating a history of closure For 18 months, the government has restored 4g Internet at J&K. The last time, on August 4, 2019, J&K accessed high-speed internet. In the past 18 months, J & K’s economy witnessed massive damage. GOI should also restore the special status of J&K, article 370. #Kashmir #Internet, ”he said in a tweet.
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