Voice calls, SMS services restored completely for prepaid mobiles in Jammu and Kashmir

Srinagar : Months after restrictions were imposed on the mobile networks, voice calls and SMS have been restored for prepaid mobile connections in Jammu and Kashmir, officials of the union territory said on Saturday.

Senior officer Rohit Kansal also announced that 2G internet services will also be resumed for postpaid SIM cards in 12 districts of J&K.

To give mobile internet connectivity on such SIM cards, the telecom service providers will have to verify the credentials of the subscribers, he said.

Fixed-line internet connectivity will also be restored in the 12 districts, including Bandipora and Kupwara.

On August 5, the centre had imposed strict connectivity restrictions in Jammu and Kashmir after it announced scrapping of Article 370 and bifurcation of the state into two Union Territories.

This week, broadband internet was partially restored for institutions in Kashmir Valley after more than five months of blackout. Social networking sites, however, will remain under complete restriction, the government order said.

The decision to restore connectivity came after the Supreme Court, in response to a petition last week, ordered a review of all the restrictive orders that are still in place. This, the court said, should be done within a week. "Suspension of free movement, Internet and basic freedoms cannot be an arbitrary exercise of power," the court said.