Monday (October 14): People across the Valley quickly dialled out to speak to those they had been unable to since August 5 bifurcation of J&K as mobile phones in Kashmir buzzed back to life today.
After a big time lag, 40 lakh post-paid subscribers are connected to their families and friends in the country, the Valley and their neighbourhoods after 72 days.
Although internet facilities have not yet been activated.
“The resumption of the service is only on post-paid connections and only for voice calls and SMS. Over 25 lakh prepaid mobile phones and other internet services, including WhatsApp, will remain deactivated for now,” officials said.
Connectivity was snapped exactly a week before Eid, celebrated on August 12. And so great was the relief today that many Kashmiris wished each other Eid Mubarak.
The restoration of post-paid mobile phones of all services tops a number of steps taken in recent weeks to remove restrictions in the Valley.
Last week, the state was opened to tourists. Educational institutions are also open, but attendance has been slim.
On August 17, partial fixed line telephony was resumed in the Valley. On September 4, nearly 50,000 landlines were declared operational.
Jammu and Kashmir Governor Satya Pal Malik had earlier said mobile phones were being used by terrorists to spread a hate campaign in the state.
Lack of mobile phone connectivity caused immense hardship to the people and the announcement of its restoration is the most significant step towards ending the communication blockade.
Mobile communication in the Valley was shut down to prevent externally aided terrorists from disturbing peace and inflicting casualties, officials said.
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