India is heralding the restoration of limited internet 6 months after it stripped Kashmir of its semi-autonomy and imposed a blackout. But Kashmiris are only allowed to access government-approved websites. Facebook, WhatsApp and Twitter remain blocked.
In this Jan. 30, 2020, photo, a Kashmiri journalist, center, browses the internet on his mobile phone inside the media center set up by government authorities in Srinagar, Indian controlled Kashmir. Six months after India stripped restive Kashmir of its semi-autonomy, enforcing a total communications blackout, it has restored limited internet at slow speeds with access only to government-approved websites.
“Frankly, let’s call it what it is: It’s still an internet shutdown and a blanket censorship of the internet,” said Nikhil Pahwa, a New Delhi-based digital rights activist. “Can you imagine this being done to Delhi?” “They made us silent for six months. Now they’ve opened a window,” said Shoaib Rassol, a student. “We’ll tell the world what India has done to us.”
Recently, internet service was suspended in areas of New Delhi, in the eastern state of West Bengal, the northern city of Aligarh and the entire state of Assam during protests after the contentious citizenship law was passed in Parliament. The internet lockdown also hurt Kashmir’s economy as tens of thousands of artisans became jobless when their handicrafts couldn’t be sold online. Local tech companies had to close or relocate to other areas of India, suffering heavy losses.
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