Srinagar, December 29, 2018 (PPI-OT): In occupied Kashmir, the closure of internet service has adversely affected the pace and quality of academic endeavours of the students. A local English daily Kashmir Monitor during 2018, the internet service was shut down as many as 64 times in the occupied territory, with most of such instances taking place in the four districts to the south Kashmir.
The occupation authorities shut the internet services almost every time in districts where Indian forces launch cordon and search operations. Such frequent shutdown of the internet takes days and weeks to resume thus cutting off the affected student population from the world of information and knowledge that World Wide Web has on offer.
Zehra Yousuf, 25, a resident of Chatapora village of Pulwama district, finds it difficult to prepare for her upcoming recruitment test at the University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology of Kashmir. She has completed the first phase of the test and is due to sit for the next in January. “Life in south Kashmir is same as it was during the dark ages, we are cut off from rest of the state and the world,” she rued.
Andleeb Mir, in her mid-twenties, a civil service aspirant from Shopian, has a complaint similar to Zehra. Like thousands of other aspirants, Andleeb found it apt to study from video, audio and textual courses available on the internet for her exams. But her focus takes a hit whenever internet services in her district (or even those nearby) are suspended.
Ambreen, a post graduate student, said that she recently ordered a book but it was cancelled as the internet was gagged for a whole week. “Private courier services have almost vacated south Kashmir as they suffer huge losses due to the internet blockade. We have to order books and other things on our friends’ or relatives’ addresses in Srinagar,” she added.
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