Srinagar: The Jammu and Kashmir government on Saturday restored prepaid mobile services across the Union Territory.
“After a careful review, the competent authority has ordered today that voice and SMS facilities shall be restored on all local prepaid SIM cards across J&K,” said Rohit Kansal, Jammu & Kashmir Principal Secretary.
“2G mobile data on postpaid mobile for accessing white-listed websites shall be allowed in all 10 districts of Jammu & Kupwara, Bandipora in Kashmir division,” he said.
However, the mobile internet shall remain suspended in Budgam, Ganderbal, Baramulla, Srinagar, Kulgam, Anantnag, Shopian and Pulwama.
Earlier on Tuesday, the Jammu and Kashmir administration issued orders to partially allow 2G mobile connectivity on postpaid mobiles in the Union Territory from January 15 for accessing white-listed sites in five districts of Jammu region – Jammu, Samba, Kathua, Udhampur and Reasi.
The order came days after the Supreme Court, on January 10, directed to review all orders suspending internet services in Jammu and Kashmir and stated that the “right to access the internet is a fundamental right under Article 19 of the constitution”.
The Central government had suspended the internet in the region following the abrogation of Article 370 of the Constitution, which conferred special status to the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir and bifurcated it into two Union Territories — Ladakh and Jammu and Kashmir.