The Normalcy Farce deccanherald.com

Five months after the scrapping of Article 370 and the bifurcation of the state into two union territories, Kashmir remains communication and information black hole. Some small steps were taken recently, showcased as relaxation of the curbs that had affected the life of the people in every aspect. These included restoration of internet services for the major hospitals in the Valley and partial resumption of SMS services in Kashmir and some parts of Jammu. Mobile internet connectivity was restored in Kargil last week. But these relaxations are mere exceptions that only prove the rule – that of the prolonged denial of basic freedoms that Kashmiris are forced to live with. Life in Kashmir is far from normal. None of the institutions, like schools, which have on record reopened, are functioning normally.

Access to the internet has been accepted as a basic right of citizens and its denial, along with other curbs, is wrong and illegal. It has gone on for too long and maybe the longest ever cyber shutdown in any democratic country. It has badly hit life and business. Agriculture, trade and tourism have suffered in the last five months with no hopes of early recovery. The blockade and the clampdown have crippled the media as news lines have been choked and there are restrictions on its working. Most local dailies have slashed the number of pages and copies and some do not publish editorials and opinions. Journalists are being intimidated.