[shripadk]

Absolutely right. It is ridiculous to think that the Government will not restrict communications in a region that has seen nothing but violence and terrorism for the past 30 years since the Exodus of Kashmiri Pandits. For the first time in 3 decades the Valley is peaceful. If it comes down to choosing between deaths of innocents by deranged terrorists and cutting communication I would always choose the latter. The Pulwama Attack is still fresh in the mind of Indians and cannot be forgotten or forgiven.

[owaislone]

How many times did you visit the valley in the last 30 years? Please tell us how peaceful or violent it was during your last 5 visits.

Please, also tell us how exactly this is bringing peace to the valley and if banning phones and internet for months has been so effective, then why did 1988-95 see the most unrest? If I remember correctly, mobile phones with EDGE/GPRS were introduced to Kashmir around what year? 2002? 2000 to ~2010 were also some of the most peaceful years in Kashmir in the last 3 decades.

[hnews_account_1]

I have been there multiple times - to Jammu in particular. I'm a 90s kid and in all my life, I have seen an army presence in the region due to the fear of terrorism. Tanks have always had some movement visible to the public at all times (even when it was relatively peaceful).

And here's the kicker - everyone thinks the civilisation is anti muslim. The reason I went to Jammu many times is to visit a Hindu temple there. It sits atop a mountain and you have to climb it by foot. Nowadays they have costly helicopter rides to get to the top, but back in the day all you had were either horses (kinda limited) or manual labourers who offered to carry you up / down in palanquins or directly on their backs. Literally all of them have always been muslims.

The temple and its surrounding areas are completely smothered by the army because they know that this is a very holy ground for the Hindus. If there ever were a terrorist attack aimed at it (or even the whiff of it), there will be blind violence on the streets against all muslims and immediate call for war against pakistan. The same army people know most of these muslim labourers and don't give a shit about them.

Does that mean that the army does not at all attack based on religious profiling? No. The army has done very unethical profiling based on religion in the region in the past. My point is if I didn't include this disclaimer, I can also make up stories of any given bent and literally all of my facts would be true.

[yumraj]

Was it peaceful enough that Kashmiri Pandits could return without fear of being killed? If no, then it was not peaceful..

[owaislone]

Not sure what that has to do with BANNING 10 MILLION PEOPLE FROM USING INTERNET for 5 months and then banning all social media but from my experience of meeting Pandits in Srinagar who HAVE returned, yes.

Plus, OP implied that Kashmir is peaceful now because of people not having internet access. Are you now saying until Pandits return, Kashmir will have no internet access?

[yumraj]

- I was replying to the claim that J&K was peaceful, which it clearly was not. We cannot claim that since it was peaceful for one community, it was peaceful.

- per the media reports that I've seen, no Kashmiri Pandits have dared to return. The only few that are in the valley are the ones who could not migrate, primarily due to economic reasons. Rest have been living as refugees in their own country

- Internet had been used by terrorists and their sympathizors, and that is a fact

[shripadk]

Population of Kashmir is around 6.9 million not 10 million. Total population of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh is 12 million of which Kashmir is a part.

Don't include Jammu, Leh and Ladakh into this as they want to be with India in totality. Even the Kashmiris you talk about are incomplete without the 5 lakh Kashmiri Pandits who were forcibly made to leave from the Valley. The popular slogan : Raliv, Galiv, Chaliv (Convert, Die or Leave) and the fact that they wanted the Pandits to "leave their women behind" shows what kind of Religious hysteria was fanned up to dislodge the original inhabitants: Kashmiri Pandits, from their homes. Have some shame. Repent for the sins committed on the Pandits community that gave shelter, only to turn against them in the end. Kashmiri Pandits are living as refugees in their own country. What can be more shameful than that? No matter how much you justify the Kashmiri cause the Genocide and Exodus of Kashmiri Pandits will remain a big blot on Kashmiriyat. You cannot suppress Truth for long.

[selimthegrim]

Is this the plan? Are the Pandits when they return going to be the only ones allowed unrestricted internet facility?

[ra7]

I don't see where the comment you replied to suggested this.

[selimthegrim]

That’s my point. There was no plan. BJP jumped off a cliff and none of these guys are going to gainsay them even though there is no way forwards except backwards.

[jeremysalwen]

I was going to quote the whole "those who would give up essential liberty..." quote, but then I Googled it and realized that all the search results were spammed with the same false meme about how he was "misquoted". Since likely some hn commenter has been exposed to the meme, I need to preempt them posting it here by pointing out that yes, I am aware of it, I just think the meme is bullshit.