Suspended For 150 Days, SMS Facility And Internet Services At Govt Hospitals Resume In Kashmir

Broadband internet service was restored in government-run hospitals and SMS facility on all mobile phones from Tuesday midnight in Kashmir, after over four-and-a-half months of suspension. Internet services, landline and mobile phones were snapped across Jammu and Kashmir on August 4, a day before the Centre’s announcement to scrap the special status of Jammu and Kashmir and divide it into two union territories.

Though most services, except mobile internet, were restored in Jammu within a week, Kashmir saw landlines and post-paid services being restored in phases.        

“It has been decided to restore internet connectivity to all government hospitals with effect from midnight of December 31 besides fully restoring SMS on mobile phones,” Jammu and Kashmir administration spokesman Rohit Kansal told reporters.

However, Internet and pre-paid mobile services in Kashmir are yet to be restored.               

On Monday, five political leaders, who were detained for past four months since the abrogation of Article 370, were released by the Jammu and Kashmir administration.

The five leaders released belonged to the National Conference, the PDP and the Congress, who were kept under preventive detention, officials said.

The leaders included Ishfaq Jabbar and Ghulam Nabi Bhat (NC), Bashir Mir (Congress) and Zahoor Mir and Yasir Reshi (PDP), they said. Reshi is considered as a rebel PDP leader who had openly revolted against then chief minister and PDP patron Mehbooba Mufti.

On November 25, two political leaders -- Dilawar Mir of the PDP and Ghulam Hassan Mir of the Democratic Party Nationalist -- were released by the new Union Territory administration.

The Narendra Modi government on August 5 revoked Article 370 to take away Jammu and Kashmir's special status, and bifurcated the state into two union territories, Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh, that redrew the map and future of a region at the centre of a protracted militancy movement.