NEW DELHI: India’s Supreme Court said on Friday that an indefinite shutdown of the Internet in Kashmir was illegal, rebuking the government for the communications lockdown imposed after it withdrew the Muslim majority region’s autonomy in August.
Indefinite suspension of the Internet violated India’s telecoms rules, the court said, ordering authorities to review all curbs in Kashmir in a week.
“Freedom of Internet access is a fundamental right,” Supreme Court Justice N. V. Ramana said.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Hindu-nationalist government has frequently used Internet shutdowns as a tool to quell dissent in troubled parts of the country.
Last month, authorities imposed an Internet clampdown in parts of the capital and in areas of the eastern state of Assam and Uttar Pradesh in the north as protests raged against a new citizenship law that Muslims see as discriminatory.
The shutdown in Kashmir, which has been on for more than 150 days, is the longest such outage in any democracy, according to digital rights group Access Now.
The government has argued that the blackout in Kashmir, a Himalayan region claimed by neighboring Pakistan and plagued by separatist militants, was essential to maintain calm.
The Supreme Court’s decision, which also asks authorities to make public all orders on Internet shutdowns, should enable more scrutiny of suspensions, Internet freedom activists said.
“This sheds light on the rationale behind Internet shutdowns which then can be challenged as being constitutional or proportionate or not,” said Nikhil Pahwa, digital rights activist and editor of MediaNama, a Delhi-based publication.
“So if the state is forced to be transparent, they will be more accountable.”
In 2019, India’s documented Internet blackouts lasted for more than 4,000 hours, costing Asia’s third-biggest economy $1.3 billion, according to a report by website Top10VPN.
An uneasy calm prevails in Kashmir. The Internet was restored in hospitals last week and some mobile phone connections are working.
The blackout has severely disrupted the lives of millions and had an impact on everything from college admissions to businesses filing tax returns.
“The court also said the freedom of the press is impacted by the shutdown,” said Vrinda Grover, an advocate representing petitioners, who include journalists and civil society members.
“It is an abuse of power.”
India’s top court says indefinite Kashmir Internet shutdown is illegal
https://arab.news/8s4sx
India’s top court says indefinite Kashmir Internet shutdown is illegal
- Freedom of Internet access is a fundamental right, judge said
- In 2019, India’s documented Internet blackouts lasted for more than 4,000 hours
Pakistan, China agree to step up counterterrorism coordination, hold regular security talks
- The interior ministers of both countries agree on quarterly working-group meetings, annual high-level talks
- Islamabad says Beijing expressed satisfaction over protection of Chinese citizens and projects in Pakistan
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and China agreed on Wednesday to institutionalize closer collaboration on counterterrorism and internal security, committing to regular meetings and expanded coordination amid efforts by both countries to safeguard Chinese nationals and projects amid persistent militant threats in the region.
The agreement was reached during talks between Pakistan’s Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi and his Chinese counterpart Wang Xiaohong at the headquarters of China’s Ministry of Public Security in Beijing, according to an official statement circulated in Islamabad.
China has raised concerns in the past over attacks targeting its citizens working on infrastructure and energy projects in Pakistan. Islamabad has stepped up security deployments and intelligence coordination in response, while Beijing has pushed for more structured and predictable security engagement.
“The two sides discussed joint counterterrorism measures, police training exchange programs and ways to expand cooperation in areas of mutual interest,” Pakistan’s interior ministry said in a statement, adding that the two officials agreed to hold working-level meetings every three months and annual talks at the interior ministers’ level.
Wang expressed satisfaction over Pakistan’s steps to protect Chinese citizens and projects, the statement added, praising Pakistan’s counterterrorism measures and internal security initiatives.
China also acknowledged Pakistan’s sacrifices in its fight against militancy, according to the statement.
Naqvi and Wang stressed the need to further improve coordination mechanisms to enhance operational cooperation between the two countries’ security agencies.
His meeting with his Chinese counterpart lasted for over three years.
