The Jammu and Kashmir government’s home department has issued orders extending the ban on high-speed internet imposed from August 5, 2019, however, 2G speed was restored on the Supreme Court’s direction in January 2020. The ban has been extended till 11th May stating that it was done to avoid any plans to recruit militants and infiltrate from across the border as two new terrorist groups named “The Resistance Front (TRF) and Tehreek-i-Milat-i-Islami (TMI)” have been formed by Pakistan’s Intelligence Agency, Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), with the help of Lashkar-e-Taiba, according to some field agents.
According to the statement of the officials, it has been done to avoid activities like “uploading, downloading, circulation of provocative videos, guard against rumour-mongering, fake news, prevent the use of encrypted messaging and VOIP services for infiltration and coordinating (militant) activities”.
A petitioner cited in the Supreme Court that in times of Covid-19, students and healthcare professionals need high-speed internet.
