News Kashmir Magazine

Over the past few decades the medium of Internet has emerged as the lifeline for carrying our daily chorus of life  . Internet  has multiple positives -We access news and other related websites to update ourselves about the current affairs, we rely on the communication platform it offers to communicate with the world. Be it using a social networking website like Facebook, twitter  to post what’s happening in our lives and connecting with global audiences , or using an application like Whataspp, Skype or Viber to talk to our dear ones; web is the medium. Be it to get  information or to entertain ourselves, Internet is always our first choice. Even in many places internet is  used  to order food and used as medium to  shop in fast life of current times .

Unfortunately, the conflict ridden valley of Kashmir has suffered a lot due to frequent internet gags over the past few years and Infact has seen more gags imposed on internet  than war devastated Yemen, Iraq and Syria etc . Now in latest shocker and seen as a reaction to students agitation Jammu and Kashmir government has ordered suspension of internet services in the trouble-hit valley for a period of one month or till further orders.

As per the government directive, social networking sites to be suspended include Facebook, Twitter, WhatsApp, QQ, WeChat, Ozone, Tumblr, Google+, Baidu, Skype, Viber, Line, Snapchat, Pinterest, Telegram, Reditt, Snapfish, YouTube (Upload), Vine, Xanga and Flickr.

 

Masses and all voices of sanity are aghast over the move  and demand that this latest internet gag should be revoked to prevent further damages.

Internet is the lifeline of every society owing to its multi- dimensional uses. In Kashmir valley a decade back the real internet boom ushered and people of Kashmir started its use for carrying out business, social networking and other activities.

Unfortunately, due to ongoing political upheavals the medium of internet has been biggest causality .

As a matter of fact,Jammu and Kashmir has experienced 27 Internet shutdowns since 2012, highest for any other Indian state, with nine such incidents reported in 2016, data by legal service organisation SFLC revealed. On the otherhand, as a standard procedure, mobile services and mobile internet is snapped in Kashmir valley on Indian Republic and Independence days, with an exception on this year’s Republic Day.

The data released few days back  provided by Software Freedom Law Centre (SFLC) reflects that since 2012 there have been 62 incidents of Internet shutdowns across various regions in 12 states in the country, with 30 being reported in 2016 itself, and four instances in the first month of 2017.

Last year for many months internet was shutdown affecting life adversely in Kashmir valley. Pertinently, after Hizbul Mujahideen militant Burhan Wani was killed on July 8, 2016, mobile internet services were snapped by the authorities citing security reasons. The services were restored on November 19 for post-paid connections and on January 27, 2017 for pre-paid connections.

One hopes there will be end to this frequent internet shutdowns in Kashmir.