88th day of curfew, Jammu-Kashmir divided into union territories

SRINAGAR: In occupied Kashmir, normal life remains disrupted in the Kashmir Valley and Muslim majority areas of Jammu region owing to the unprecedented military clampdown and almost total communications blackout, which entered 88th straight day, today.

While landline and postpaid mobile phone services have been partially restored across the territory, all internet services and prepaid phone connectivity continue to remain suspended badly affecting people especially professionals, students, patients, doctors and media persons, Kashmir Media Service reported.

Restrictions under Section 144 are also in place. Public transport is off the roads and train service too remains suspended. Barring opening of shops for few morning hours, business activities continue to remain crippled.

Offices and educational institutions witness very thin attendance. However, students are turning up to appear for the annual board examinations for class 10 and class 12 which began on Tuesday and Wednesday respectively.

On the other hand, in an event of far-reaching consequences, occupied Kashmir was officially split into two union territories at midnight Wednesday against the wishes of the people of the territory and in breach of international laws and India’s own constitution.

Indian Administrative Service Officers, Girish Chandra Murmu and RK Mathur, who has been appointed the new Lieutenant Governor for the union territories of Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh respectively, will be sworn in at separate functions in Srinagar and Leh today by the Chief Justice of the High Court of occupied Kashmir, Gita Mittal.

Murmu was Principal Secretary to Narendra Modi when mass killing of Muslims was carried out in Gujarat in 2002 during his tenure as chief minister.

The Communist Party of India Marxist (CPI-M) in a statement issued in New Delhi termed the move, shameful. The decision to formally declare separation of Ladakh from Jammu and Kashmir gets in effect from today.

It is claimed that the territory was divided without taking the opinion of its citizens or paying heed to there strong opposition to the abrogation of Article 370.