NEW DELHI — Months after imposing a sweeping communications blackout in Kashmir, the Indian government on Saturday unblocked several hundred websites in the disputed Himalayan region, bringing a tentative end to the world’s longest internet shutdown in a democracy.
The announcement comes nearly half a year after India’s government, led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, revoked Kashmir’s semiautonomous status. Bracing for subsequent unrest, authorities suspended landline and cellular connections, cut internet services and dispatched tens of thousands of troops to the area.
Since then, the Kashmir Valley, home to as many as 8 million people, has endured a punishing information blackout.
Foreign journalists and diplomats were blocked from visiting the predominantly Muslim territory, which is contested between India and Pakistan. The government arrested scores of Kashmiris, including former heads of state, without disclosing charges. Ordinary Kashmiris struggled to procure medicines and contact loved ones.
The lifting of restrictions on Saturday applied only to 301 “whitelisted” websites. Among them were entertainment platforms like Netflix and Amazon and some international news outlets, including The New York Times. Many Indian publications remained blocked, along with all social media. Mobile data access was also restored, though it was limited to 2G connections.
“It is very slow — and a good joke,” said Sajeel Majid, 35, a restaurant owner in Srinagar, the summer capital of Kashmir. “India wants to deceive the world by saying we have restored internet, but we can’t even access email with 2G speed.”
Though some Kashmiris said the partial restoration of internet services could bring some semblance of normalcy to the region, they pointed out that shops remained largely shut and troops were still posted everywhere. Over the last week, around half a dozen Kashmiri militants were killed in gunbattles with Indian forces, who have been accused of torturing civilians and using excessive force against protesters.
In a statement, the government of Jammu and Kashmir said continued internet restrictions were necessary to prevent the “propagation of terror activities” and the “circulation of inflammatory material.” Officials said they would approve more websites in the coming days.
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