Internet Blockade in Kashmir
Vox Populi
Internet has become the third place for most of the people in the world, after their home and workplace, where they tend to spend major portion of their free time.
Also, the internet is the most convenient place for the dissent to start and given this convenient feature of the internet, during a tense situation, the truth becomes the first casualty of the Internet and thereby paving the way for the Internet shut-down.
Back home, the Software Freedom Law Centre (SFLC), a Delhi-based organization, in its recently released figures revealed that Internet services were shut 38 times in J&K between 2012 till July 10, 2017.
UFAQ FATIMA spoke to some people, mostly youth, in order to seek their opinion about the frequent Internet bans in Kashmir.
Nazia Kawsar
Music and Fine Arts Student
University of Kashmir
Internet ban deprives us of our fundamental rights. I being a Fine Arts student don’t refer to textbooks. I get most of my study material from Internet. However, because of the ban, my studies are deeply affected. Every now and then when something important is on cards, be it exams or semester projects, Internet ban makes it hard to get through. I’m sure there must be some more logical solution to the Kashmir issue than Internet ban.
Nazia Kawsar 
Aneeqa Mariyum
English Literature Student
University of Kashmir
The Internet gag is something we have to come across every other day. It is no doubt unnerving for obvious reasons of miscommunication, inaccessibility and social media. The ban also adds to the alienation of Kashmiri youth from the Indian government. For every issue there is a solution, we just have to find it. And Internet ban is no solution at all.
Insha Lateef
Journalist
As a journalist, I think the Government’s idea to ban the Internet, in order to control a law and order situation, is simply absurd.
Internet gag affects my work, the assignment that I complete within a day when the Internet is working, the same assignment takes more than three days to complete. During the Internet ban, I have seen my journalist friends, who are working with national newspapers, narrating the news story to their editors on phone, instead of sending it by email.
Insha Lateef
Nasir Mehmood
Student, B.tech Electronics and Communication
University of Kashmir
Internet has become an important part of our society. Everyone of us want to remain informed about the latest happenings around the world.
Faisal Firdous
MBA student
Internet gag does not affect me much as I do not rely on it. But yes, due to easy access to Internet, our society, especially youth, has become addictive to net surfing.
They become vulnerable to all the wrongs and immoral stuff that is easily available on Internet. Imposing ban puts a halt to these activities. Besides this, it is only during the ban, people spend time with family and engage in real talk, who otherwise can be seen immersed in their mobile phones.
Faisal Firdous 
Noor Muhammad
Business Man
Internet ban affects my business to a large extent as I am unable to advertise my new products on social media. In this technological era, half of the business is run through Internet. Nowadays, people prefer online payments over the paper money, but due to Internet ban, ‘swipe machines’ do not work, which hampers the business activities.
Zarmeena Wali
BDS Student
Himachal Institute of Dental Science
Internet ban literally suffocates me as I cannot connect with my family back in Kashmir. I get in touch with my friends and family via Skype or through other social media accounts. The Internet ban totally breaks the communication. All I can say is, frequent Internet ban is one of the most pathetic moves made by government, which takes us back to Stone Age.
Zarmeena Wali
Uzrat Nizam
Journalist
It has become a routine for authorities to snap Internet facility. Imposing ban on Internet every other day creates a lot of problems for us. It hampers our day-to- day activities. For instance, if I have to send and receive mails from my organization, I am not able to do so because of the mobile Internet ban. I have not subscribed to broadband services, so I have to wait until the ban is lifted.
