SRINAGAR: The government in Indian-administered Kashmir said landline telephone service has been restored a month into a near-total communications blackout and security lockdown while India’s Hindu nationalist-led government downgraded the Muslim-majority region’s autonomy.
On Thursday, people lined up at offices or homes that have landline telephones to try to contact family and friends after the long wait, but many were unable to get through after repeated attempts.
“Our landlines have been restored but we are still unable to talk to people. It is frustrating. I have been trying to call people since morning, but I am not getting through,” said Syed Musahid, in Srinagar, the main city in the Indian portion of the divided region.
Many Kashmiris living outside the region also said they were having trouble getting in touch with their families inside Kashmir.
“I kept trying a hundred times to reach my family in Kashmir, and only then did my call go through,” said Bint-e-Ali, a Kashmiri in the Indian city of Bengaluru.
She said she still hasn’t been able to talk to her ailing grandmother in Srinagar. “I hope I live to tell this horrendous tale to our next generation about how India didn’t even let us talk to our family and friends,” she said.
The government says it suspended communications Aug. 5 to prevent rumors from spreading after Kashmir’s special status in the Indian Constitution was revoked and the state of Jammu and Kashmir was downgraded to two federal districts. The suspension has almost completely isolated Kashmir’s residents.
Srinagar resident Firdous Ahmad said the restoration of landline service “definitely brings a sigh of relief” but he also he hoped cellphone and Internet data services, which are more widely used, would be restored soon.
The Press Trust of India reported restrictions had been lifted on daytime movements in the Kashmir Valley. However, checkpoints remain in place.
Protests over India’s moves have occurred sporadically in Kashmir and were quelled by security forces who fired pellets and tear gas.
Kashmir is divided between India and Pakistan and claimed by both in its entirely. The nuclear rivals have fought two wars over its control.
India has tried to suppress frequent uprisings against its rule, including an armed rebellion that started in 1989. About 70,000 people have been killed since that uprising and in the subsequent Indian military crackdown.
Landline phones back in Kashmir, but calls don’t go through
https://arab.news/2apsk
Landline phones back in Kashmir, but calls don’t go through
- People line up at places with landlines to contact family and friends after a long wait
- Kashmiris living outside the region say having trouble getting in touch with families in Kashmir
Pakistan PM gives 48 hours to draft fuel-saving plan as global oil prices surge
- Government warns against hoarding after sharp fuel price hike amid Middle East tensions
- PM wants provinces to enforce anti-profiteering measures and prevent public exploitation
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has asked his administration to formulate a strategy for fuel conservation and austerity in government affairs within 48 hours after a sharp rise in global oil prices pushed the country to increase domestic fuel rates, a senior minister said on Saturday.
The directive comes a day after the government raised petrol and diesel prices by Rs55 ($0.20) per liter, citing a surge in international energy prices triggered by escalating conflict in the Middle East after Israel and the United States launched attacks on Iran. The situation has rattled global oil markets and threatened key shipping routes.
Pakistan’s Information Minister Ataullah Tarar said Sharif had instructed officials to urgently prepare a practical plan aimed at reducing fuel consumption and promoting austerity across government institutions.
“The prime minister has given 48 hours to formulate an actionable strategy on savings, austerity and simplicity in government affairs,” he said in a social media post on X.
Tarar said Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb and Petroleum Minister Ali Pervaiz Malik had also been tasked with consulting the country’s four provincial chief ministers to coordinate measures against fuel hoarding and ensure strict enforcement of government directives.
He informed the ministers had been asked to ensure that speculation and profiteering in fuel markets were prevented, adding that authorities would take strict action against violators.
“The prime minister has directed that no leniency be shown to elements involved in exploiting the public,” he said, warning that licenses of those petrol pumps violating government orders could be revoked.
Tarar also urged the public not to pay attention to rumors regarding petroleum supplies or pricing, saying the government and relevant ministries would continue to release verified information as the situation evolves.
He said Pakistan was not alone in facing rising energy costs, noting that many countries were grappling with similar pressures due to volatility in global oil markets.
Pakistan relies heavily on imported fuel to meet its energy needs and is particularly vulnerable to global price shocks, which can quickly push up inflation and strain the country’s fragile external accounts.
