Prepaid phone ban stirs anger in Indian Kashmir

We already talked about India’s ban on prepaid mobile phones in Kashmir, which authorities put in force in belief rebels use fake documents to obtain the phone cards to evade detection and detonate bombs. Well, the move is far from popular and has led to angry protests, putting as many as 20,000 jobs at risk and jeopardizing peace efforts in the disputed territory between the Indian government and Muslim separatists.

Last week, hundreds of activists from the pro-India People’s Democratic Party demonstrated against the decision, accusing the government for discrimination. The party’s president, Mehbooba Mufti, said: “Our party will launch a movement against the retrograde steps like the banning of mobile phones, which have added to the feeling of siege among the people.”

There are 3 million prepaid card subscriptions in the region, according to the Home Ministry. Each such prepaid card costs about 100 Indian rupees, which is about $2. Not surprisingly, these cards are popular among the youth and those who can not afford ongoing postpaid plans.

The government has said it will review the ban once security concerns are addressed…

[Via: CellularNews]