Keypoints:
- Mobile internet services in J&K will be resumed from Friday midnight.
- Mobile internet services was suspended on August 5,2019 when special status of the erstwhile state was revoked.
- In early 2020, 2G Internet services were restored.
The mobile internet services which had been suspended for 18 months right from August 5,2019 will now be resumed from Friday midnight in the entire Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir.The high speed mobile internet services were suspended when Centre abrogated special status of the erstwhile state.
Jammu and Kashmir was put under what became the world’s longest-running internet shutdown in a democratic country on August 5, 2019, when the centre announced plans to scrap its decades-old autonomy listed in the constitution.
The spokesperson of Jammu and Kashmir, Rohit Kansal tweeted on Friday evening that,”4G mobile internet services are being restored in the entire Jammu and Kashmir.”
4G mobile internet services being restored in entire J&K @diprjk
— Rohit Kansal (@kansalrohit69) February 5, 2021
Last year in August, high speed internet services was restored in two districts – Ganderbal in Kashmir region and Udhampur in Jammu region.
Over the last year, broadband internet and slow mobile data were restored in phases since the Supreme Court told off the government earlier while hearing cases that called the curbs an assault on free speech and democratic rights.
The Internet services were shut by the government on August 5, 2019 when the special status of the erstwhile state was revoked in Parliament and it was bifurcated into Union Territories – Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh.
While the service was restored in two districts, Udhampur in Jammu and Ganderbal in Kashmir, after over a year, it remained suspended in the rest of the 18 districts.
Former Chief Minister Omar Abdullah welcomed the move to restore 4G services, tweeting, “4G Mubarak! For the first time since Aug 2019 all of J&K will have 4G mobile data. Better late than never.”
