As Kashmir Lockdown Enters Third Month, Several Youth Risk Losing Jobs indiatoday.in

The communication blackout imposed after the abrogation of Article 370 has entered the third month. With no mobiles and internet services, it is the worst communications lockdown the Valley has seen in decades. And it has started to take a toll on the Valley’s economy. Scores of people risk losing their jobs as IT-related firms are on the verge of shutting down permanently. Kashmir’s biggest software park in the Rangret area, which houses majority IT-related companies in the state, wears a deserted look.

Showkat Ahmad is a partner in an IT company named Imuqeet Systems Solution. He and his partners started the company six years ago. They have more than 30 employees and were doing well as they had both domestic and overseas projects. But for the past two months, their work has suffered severely, leading to huge losses. “Our entire work is on the Internet. We can’t reach our clients either can they get any service. We have told employees to go home. I think if it goes like this we may have to shut down the company permanently,” says Showkat.