Mobile internet service suspended in Pakistan-administered Kashmir on the intervening night of June 5-6 has not been fully restored despite the passage of 49 days. The service was partially restored in Mirpur division yesterday, however, users say that the internet speed is extremely slow and is proving inadequate even for normal online activities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This situation persists at a time when the 11th Legislative Assembly elections are going to be held in the region on July 27. The election campaign should have been at its peak, but the prolonged internet shutdown has significantly changed the course of political activities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Workers, students and researchers working online are facing severe difficulties due to the continuous internet shutdown. Ordinary citizens are unable to contact their families abroad, while Kashmiris living abroad are also suffering from mental anguish due to not being informed about the well-being of their loved ones in a timely manner.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
On the other hand, two days ago, a candidate from the ruling party admitted to journalists in an informal conversation that the internet shutdown benefited him politically. According to him, the election campaign was relatively easy due to limited criticism on social media and public reaction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This statement has reinforced the impression that the prolonged internet shutdown is not just an administrative decision but also has significant political implications. During the protest movement of the Jammu Kashmir Joint Public Action Committee for the past several weeks, there has been a large-scale crackdown by state institutions, while the shutdown of communication channels has also affected the free flow of information.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The unavailability of the internet has not only made reporting difficult for journalists but also limited the voice of citizens. Photos, videos and information related to protests, arrests and other incidents could not reach the outside world in a timely manner, which is raising questions about freedom of expression and access to information.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Political observers say that in the current circumstances, the electoral competition also appears to be uneven. On the one hand, the election campaigns of political parties and candidates have been reduced to traditional rallies and limited meetings, while on the other hand, social media, which had become an important means of election campaigning in the previous elections, has become almost ineffective.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
According to observers, due to the limited public accountability, questions and criticism on social media, some politicians are facing relatively less pressure, while the reach of the opposing narrative has also decreased.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In this situation, the main question that is being raised is that if elections are based on the principles of free expression of opinion, equal access to information and political competition, is a prolonged internet shutdown consistent with these principles?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
There is also an ongoing debate in political circles that if some candidates really consider this shutdown to be beneficial for themselves, it will inevitably raise further questions regarding the transparency, equality and public trust of the electoral process.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Mobile internet service suspended in Pakistan-administered Kashmir on the intervening night of June 5-6 has not been fully restored despite the passage of 49 days. The service was partially restored in Mirpur division yesterday, however, users say that the internet speed is extremely slow and is proving inadequate even for normal online activities.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":401,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_themeisle_gutenberg_block_has_review":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[30],"tags":[40,55,102,34,46,37],"class_list":["post-2370","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-jammu-kashmir","tag-government-of-pakistan","tag-government-of-pok","tag-jkjaac","tag-pakistan","tag-pakistan-army","tag-pok"],"yoast_head":"\n