Best printers for Home

Best Mixer Grinder

Best wired Earphones

Best 43 Inch TV in India

Best Wi Fi Routers

Best Home Theatre in India

Smart Watch under 5000

Best Laptops for Education

Best Laptop for Students

<ul><li>On April 11, two constituencies from the state of Jammu &amp; Kashmir – Baramulla and Jammu – will go to polls. </li><li>For the state, which has been at the centre of terrorist attacks, violence by separatists, civil disobedience and protests, elections hold major significance. </li><li>The separatist mindset however continues to cloud the state’s democratic potential, directly or indirectly. </li></ul>Jammu and Kashmir, home to the world’s highest <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-41432568">battleground</a>, has only six seats in the Indian Parliament, but it is almost always at the centre of the country’s political discourse. On April 11, two constituencies – Baramulla and Jammu – will go to polls. Both Baramulla and Jammu are important constituencies with over 1.3 million and 1.8 million voters respectively. For the state, which has been at the centre of terrorist attacks, violence by separatists, civil disobedience and protests, and the major point of contention between India and Pakistan, elections hold major significance. In Baramulla, colleges are shut for 7 days to ensure peaceful polling, whereas high security is in place across the state so as to avoid any violence during the elections. While Kashmiri separatists have called for <a href="https://www.thestatesman.com/elections-2019/separatists-call-boycott-lok-sabha-elections-beginning-thursday-1502744485.html">boycott of polls</a>, parties like Peoples Democratic Party and J&amp;K National Conference, have come to <a href="https://www.asianage.com/india/all-india/280319/separatists-poll-boycott-call-may-fall-flat.html">realise</a> that the boycott of polls only works in the benefit of other major parties like <keyword id="14666" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="BJP">BJP</keyword> and the Indian National Congress. The separatist mindset however continues to cloud the state’s democratic potential, directly or indirectly. On February 14, Pulwama saw one of the worst terrorist attacks in the history of the state with the death toll rising to over 40. Post the terrorist attack in Pulwama, over 100 Kashmiri separatists were <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-india-kashmir/more-than-100-separatists-detained-in-kashmir-raids-in-pre-election-crackdown-idUSKCN1QC070">detained </a>by the J&amp;K so that there are no anti-election campaigns. India then retaliated with the Balakot air strike, where Indian Air Force planes crossed the de facto border in Kashmir. Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman was captured after the air strike by the Pakistani army, which further riled up the hostility between the two countries. Pakistan had then released the Wing Commander. But for the people of Kashmir, elections mean hopefully making way for an improvement in the situation in the state. Baramulla has been subject to multiple <a href="http://risingkashmir.com/news/baramulla-faces-developmental-challenges">developmental</a> challenges and the people blame the administration for the lack of progress. The voter turnout in the Panchayat (local administration) elections in Kashmir held in December 2018 saw an average voter <a href="https://scroll.in/article/905364/a-closer-look-voter-turnout-numbers-do-not-tell-the-whole-story-of-kashmirs-panchayat-elections">turnout </a>of 74%. The manifestos of the two major political parties – INC and the BJP, both give prominence to Kashmir. However, It will be an uphill task for the BJP because neither of the regional parties are friendly with the incumbent government at the centre. The state has been under President’s rule since December 2018 (which was declared after 6 months of Governor’s rule) and now, the Assembly elections have been reportedly pushed till June 2019. This was because of the fallout in the regional alliance between the central government’s ruling party BJP and the PDP. One of the major reasons behind the fallout between the two parties was the Kathua rape incident where an eight-year old girl was raped. Two senior BJP ministers, Lal Singh and Prakash Chander Ganga had then participated in a rally that supported of the accused in the case. Further, the BJP manifesto’s promise to revoke <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/bjp-manifesto-released-for-2019-lok-sabha-elections/articleshow/68774925.cms">the special status of J&amp;K and revoke Article 35-A, </a>which confers special rights on J&amp;K residents especially in the acquisition of property and eligibility for public sector jobs, will also be an overhang on the party’s chances in the valley. However, this is not the first time BJP has promised this. In 2014, the party had put the repealing of Article 370, which gives autonomous status to the state, in its manifesto. But it still managed to gain ground in the state elections held after that. The Congress party has said in its manifesto that the two acts will not be touched while the AFSPA and Disturbed Areas Act will be reviewed. The Armed Forces Special Powers Act, which gives the Army the power in disturbed areas, was implemented in Kashmir in 1990 and since then, has been a point of debate in the state. See Also: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/lok-sabha-election-2019-for-jammu-and-kashmir/articleshow/68637078.cms">Lok Sabha Election 2019 candidate list for Jammu and Kashmir</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/bjp-manifesto-released-for-2019-lok-sabha-elections/articleshow/68774925.cms">Narendra Modi's election manifesto packs larger doles and a rosy narrative</a>

Elections 2019: Democracy’s appeal is under test in the shadow of the world’s highest battleground

<ul><li><keyword id="107096" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Tesla">Tesla</keyword> Energy, based in Bangalore, has been asked to implement the <keyword id="1311087" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="blackhole">BlackHOLE</keyword> in the <keyword id="26604" type="LOCATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="ladakh">Ladakh</keyword> region of <keyword id="17605" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Jammu-and-kashmir">Jammu and Kashmir</keyword>.</li><li>BlackHOLE <keyword id="6355118" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="technology">technology</keyword> takes trash and turns it into ceramic ash that can be used for construction purposes. </li><li>Amid the burst of tourists of late, Ladakh has been struggling with the disposal of solid waste.</li></ul>An arm of the US-based Tesla Green, Tesla Energy has been asked to <a href="https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/soon-teslas-blackhole-to-gobble-up-waste-in-ladakh/articleshow/65555798.cms" data-type="tilCustomLink">implement ‘BlackHOLE’ technology</a> to serve as a solution to Ladakh’s trash problems. Located in Jammu and Kashmir, the region is one of the most popular tourist destinations in <keyword id="3658" type="COUNTRY" weightage="20" keywordseo="India">India</keyword>, especially of late. While that may be great in terms of economic growth by way of revenue and employment, the region has been deteriorating due to the heaps of trash left behind by visiting tourists. BlackHOLE, with its low maintenance costs and simplistic process, can be a sustainable solution to the problem and the company claims that even a layman can operate it. That being said, it should be kept in mind that the only thing that the BlackHOLE can’t recycle is glass. So how does it work? First, the trash is collected and put into a chamber. Air is then blown into the chamber and using plasma heat decomposition technology, that needs no fuel or power to run, the waste is turned into ash. This ‘ceramic ash’ can then be used a raw material for construction, like the building of roads and houses. And, apparently the <keyword id="148325" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Border-Roads-Organisation">Border Roads Organisation</keyword> (BRO) has already agreed to buy the ash for building roads on the mountainside. 
 
 <div type="Youtube" id="1oDEc0hHUvc" title="A Complete Waste Management Solution -BlackHOLE Technology" thumbUrl="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/1oDEc0hHUvc/mqdefault.jpg"></div>




 Mountains of trash on the world’s roof Endearingly called the ‘roof of the world’, Ladakh's high altitude and windswept plateaus aren’t under the siege of trash due to the local inhabitants. During the peak seasons of June-August, around 15-16 tonnes of trash get generated on a daily basis by tourists who are just ‘visiting’ the region. Currently, it’s only the trash from the town of <keyword id="57867" type="LOCATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="leh">Leh</keyword> that is deposited in Bomb Garh, while everywhere else, the trash is left on the mountainside. And, the trash left out in the open spreads through the valley whenever the wind blows, which is fairly often, having devastating effects on the area’s fragile ecosystem. Sending the trash down to the plains might be one solution, but it’s expensive and geographically unviable because the roads are open for short amounts of time. Which is why, BlackHOLE can serve as solution to bridge that gap. That being said, the crux of the problem is still not being addressed. While <keyword id="114175" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="recycling">recycling</keyword> and upcycling do breathe second life into non-renewable resources, the increasing waste generation is still a cause for worry. Rather than just deal with problem, it’s also important for the region to implement measures to reduce solid waste to begin with.

Jammu & Kashmir calls on Tesla’s BlackHOLE tech to solve its trash problems

By Tariq Sofi Jammu, Apr 13 () The lockdown due to coronavirus has posed a grave challenge to the migratory beekeepers, who chase blossoms from one state to another, and they are looking for support from both the administration and the people to keep their trade alive. Many of the apiarists have reached different parts of Jammu region from outside the Union Territory and are planning to move with their bee colonies towards Srinagar in the next couple of weeks as is the traditional practice. "This was the time when we used to come back from outside (Jammu and Kashmir) after the winter sojourn... this time we are facing the heat of the lockdown and are hoping the administration as well as local residents will facilitate our movement and cooperate in setting up apiaries," Farooq Ahmad Wani, president of Golden Honey Beekeepers Association, told . Wani, 47, who is a resident of Tethar village of Banihal in Ramban district, is camping at Battal village near Mansar Lake along with several other beekeepers from his district, who have returned from Rajasthan since early last month. He said the beekeepers traditionally move outside Jammu and Kashmir, especially to Rajasthan and Punjab, in December every year and return in March-April to Jammu before moving to Kashmir in the last week of April. "We came early this time but others were not so lucky and are still stranded in Punjab and other places. The rising temperatures pose a danger to the bees and we need to move from place to place for their safety and also to ensure good quality feed," he said. He said livelihood of tens of thousands of people, directly or indirectly linked to the honey trade, is at stake. Another beekeeper, who did not wish to be named, complained that the local residents in many areas are reluctant to allow them to set up their colonies after entering Kathua district from Punjab. "Recently, one of our vehicles carrying beehives from Punjab was stopped at Lakhanpur for hours together before being given a clearance by the authorities. Only the driver and one attendant were allowed, while others were sent to the administrative quarantine," he said. He said people of a village along Jammu-Pathankot highway objected and did not allow setting up of the shelter due to fear of coronavirus. "We are already following the guidelines of the government, staying in isolation and maintaining proper social distancing. The people need not to worry, just allow us to set up bee colonies on reaching our destinations," Wani said. He said there is a threat to the lives of the bees without proper care. "We faced a lot of problems due to the lockdown and the inclement weather, resulting in huge losses. The government needs to come forward and bail us out with financial assistance," marketing director of Golden Honey Qasim Umar said. He said they have already taken up the matter with the director of agriculture department and are hopeful of a positive response from the government. Wani, who has over 300 bee colonies, said he had allowed many of his workers to visit their homes after reaching Jammu but most of them could not join them due to the sudden lockdown. "The frequent rainfall added to our worries in Jammu… the production of honey went down and we are also not getting proper price for the product as there are people who are trying to exploit the situation in their favour," he said. TAS RT

Lockdown cripples migratory beekeepers of Jammu and Kashmir

<keyword id="41568" type="LOCATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="Srinagar">Srinagar</keyword>, While the entire administration, including the security forces are fighting the oronavirus pandemic in <keyword id="6354495" type="LOCATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="kashmir">Kashmir</keyword>, anti-social elements continue to indulge in spreading <keyword id="25653" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="rumour">rumour</keyword> and fake news. "Doing such mischief would not help the society since the main objective of rumour mongering is to create a law and order situation by stoking passions. Such anti-social activities only compound the problems of the common man. "We believe the main purpose of the rumour mongers is to distract the attention of the security forces from doing anti-pandemic duties. "It is not difficult to understand that rumour mongering in times like this is not only a penal offence, but a crime against the society at large", said a top intelligence officer. Rumour has always moved ahead of the genuine news in this landlocked Valley where people in days bygone believed that the world ends at the Pir Panjal mountains. The latest addition to this by the incorrigible rumour spreaders is that the Supreme Court has advised the government to restore 4G <keyword id="6357247" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Internet">Internet</keyword> in J&amp;K within 24 hours. A fake document circulated through social media websites reads almost like a genuine order issued by the registry of the apex court. The profiles of the petitions, respondents and the officials of the court have been copied and instead of the actual direction of the court that issued notice to the respondents, the fake order speaks of 4G restoration within 24 hours. The cyber cell of local police has registered a case in this incident and senior officials told IANS that the IP identities, etc. of the rumour mongers have been traced. "Arrests would soon be made to book the culprits who are disregarding the hard times the country is presently going through", a senior police officer said. Even earlier to Thursday's fake order, <keyword id="63998" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Fraudsters">fraudsters</keyword> had <keyword id="108404" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="thrice">thrice</keyword> circulated fake orders those attributed restoration of 4G Internet to an order purportedly issued by the UT's home department. Authorities had to deny repeatedly that such orders ever existed. SEE ALSO:<a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/topic/coronavirus">Coronavirus News and Updates</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/india/news/how-to-check-coronavirus-symptoms-at-home/articleshow/74960334.cms">What are the Coronavirus symptoms and how to check for them at home</a>

Kashmir forces are fighting against fake news in times of pandemic

<ul class="summary-list"><li><keyword id="6358953" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="Transgender">Transgender</keyword> people in <keyword id="6354495" type="LOCATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="kashmir">Kashmir</keyword> face discrimination and harassment throughout their lives.</li><li>Many work as matchmakers or performers at weddings, but coronavirus restrictions mean they are now out of work.</li><li>Kashmir is not only in the grip of the virus, but also a security crisis since <keyword id="3658" type="COUNTRY" weightage="60" keywordseo="India">India</keyword> removed the region's autonomy in 2019.</li><li>Trans expression is a taboo subject in Muslim-majority Kashmir, pushing members of the trans community into the shadows.</li></ul>Now is not a good time to be transgender in Kashmir.Members of the trans community are often rejected by their families, and by a conservative society that views them as an underclass.To make matters worse, a security crackdown imposed by India since removing the region's autonomy last year — and now a coronavirus lockdown — means that they are without work and have been pushed to the brink.Aijaz Ahmad Bund is an academic and rights activist for the LGBTQ community. From a small office in the regional capital Srinagar, he speaks out for those who have no voice."This society has pushed them to the wall. They are living an invisible life," he told Business Insider"They face discrimination in every aspect of life. They are abused physically, verbally. They face a lot of street harassment. They face a lot of sexual abuse as well."One of the few trans individuals to have made a name for herself in Kashmir is Abdul Rashid, otherwise known as Reshma. She is a well-known singer here, but even she is struggling to make ends meet.She makes a little money from tailoring, sitting on the floor of her small apartment with an old sewing machine. Her experience growing up is similar to many among the trans community. "I wasn't allowed even out of our lane. I would be asked where I had been for so long and then beaten for being late. We would take the narrow side streets to avoid getting bullied on the main roads. Some would even spit on us," she told <keyword id="9071581" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="business-insider-weekly">Business Insider Weekly</keyword>.From a small drawer, under lock and key, she takes out a small vial and applies mascara."Growing up, I wasn't interested in studying, but was into girlish things. I used to put chalk on my face as powder," she said.<h2>Transgender people in Kashmir are living in the shadows.</h2>Unlike in other parts of India and Pakistan, the transgender community here rarely dress in colourful clothing, afraid of ridicule — or worse.Subhan, known as Shabnam, is luckier. Her family has always supported her."I used to get along well with ladies, not that much with men. That's because I had an affinity towards them and not towards men. As time passed by, I started dressing up like them, and then it became clear that I was a third gender," she said.But a life of living in the shadows, combined with the present-day double crisis of pandemic and security crackdown, has taken its toll."I must say that we face so many issues that we can't even count them," she said.Traditional patriarchal values mean that sex and sexual orientation in the Muslim-majority region is a taboo subject. And gender affirmation procedures are not seen as a viable option."Our Quran doesn't allow us to bring changes to our bodies that won't be good. How our Lord made us, we should remain that way. We are a third gender," Shabnam said.<h2>With the region in political turmoil, the past year has been suffocating.</h2><div type="image" title="security" height="1080" width="1920" msid="78711203" hostid="261"></div>Already a shunned and invisible minority, Kashmir's trans community is now living in a land that has been turned upside down. Last year, India <a href="https://uk.reuters.com/article/us-india-kashmir-factbox/factbox-kashmirs-history-indias-revoking-of-special-status-in-context-idUSKCN1UV0RK">abolished Article 370 of its constitution</a>, which granted Kashmir a special status as an autonomous region.The move stripped Kashmir of its flag and its lawmaking powers, and brought it under direct control of the government in New Delhi. Thousands were arrested and imprisoned — and all phone and internet services cut off.Today, security forces continue to line the streets and man checkpoints.For the trans community, with little acceptance from wider society and no means to communicate with the outside world, this last year has been suffocating.Communications have only been partially restored but blackouts are still a regular occurrence.Aijaz Ahmad says mental health issues are prevalent in the community — <a href="https://theins.in/2017/11/30/transgenders-suffering-stress-even-attempted-suicide/">as are attempts at suicide</a>. Those disowned by their families are even denied a proper burial.And he said his research suggests around 15% of the transgender community is forced to work in the sex trade to make ends meet.<h2>Wedding gigs are some of the only jobs transgender people can find — and those are drying up.</h2><div type="image" title="KASHMIR TRANS NEW WEEKLY V2.00_04_40_23.Still007" height="1080" width="1920" msid="78711206" hostid="261"></div>One of the only acceptable lines of work is matchmaking and performing at weddings. It's here that Kashmir's trans community are permitted to dress, and perform, as themselves.Mohammad Aslam, known as Babloo is a matchmaker, playing the role of broker between two families in arranged marriages. She, like the others, is now without work."The situation deteriorated after the abrogation of Article 370," she said. "We can't go to people's houses because our work involves interacting with people in their homes. At the moment we are hesitant to meet people and are scared of getting infected and vice versa."With weddings cancelled and an increasing number of people finding their own partners online, times are tough."People used to call us to dance and sing at marriages, and we used to get good money as well. Now there are DJs, and women sing too, so we don't get much business there," Shabnam told Business Insider.To make matters worse, the Indian government has now made it possible for non residents of Kashmir to own property and work in the region, putting a further squeeze on job opportunities.<h2>"We have people who are violated on a daily basis."</h2><div type="image" title="KASHMIR TRANS NEW WEEKLY V2.00_04_03_27.Still006" height="1080" width="1920" msid="78711208" hostid="261"></div>An irony of the abolition of Kashmir statehood was that the mountainous region inherited Indian laws on homosexuality, which was recently decriminalized.Yet this, as well as a transgender rights bill passed in 2019, has made no real difference to the lives of Reshma, Shabnam or Babloo.Aijaz Ahmad says the problem is not their legal status, rather acceptance by society."We have laws, and we have a lot of provisions in the Constitution of India which protect citizens irrespective of their gender, sex, sexuality, ethnicity, religion, blah, blah," he said. "But still we see that such people are discriminated against. We have people who are violated on a daily basis, and we believe what is more important is the ideology that needs to change."Every few weeks Shabnam, Babloo, Reshma, and other members of Kashmir's trans community gather with Ahmad to drink tea and share their stories, and their woes. For most of them, this is the only family they have.Ahmad remains optimistic, in spite of the stark reality they face."We are very hopeful that there may be a day that you know we will be able to see a gender-inclusive society," he said.Baboo added: "It's all up to God. God has to run the whole universe. God who will take care of each one of us."

Transgender people in Kashmir are leading an 'invisible life' as security crackdowns and discrimination come to a head

<ul><li>Prime Minister <keyword id="6354477" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Narendra-Modi">Narendra Modi</keyword> and US President <keyword id="6354484" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Donald-Trump">Donald Trump</keyword> to meet on Monday on the sidelines of the G7 Summit in France. </li><li>Trump had telephonic conversations with both Modi and Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan last week on the Kashmir issue. </li><li>"Kashmir is a very complicated place. You have the Hindus, and you have the Muslims," Trump had earlier said. </li></ul>The Kashmir issue is likely to figure prominently in talks between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Donald Trump on Monday on the sidelines of the G7 Summit in Biarritz in France, days after Trump said he would discuss the issue with "friend" Modi. Trump, who had telephonic conversations with both Modi and Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan last week on the Kashmir issue, said he would be meeting the Indian leader over the weekend at the G7, and he would do his best to mediate. Addressing reporters in the White House on August 21, President Trump, said: "Kashmir is a very complicated place. You have the Hindus, and you have the Muslims, and I wouldn't say they get along so great. And that's what you have right now... "And frankly it's a very explosive situation. I spoke to Prime Minister Khan, and yesterday I spoke to Prime Minister Modi; and they are both friends of mine, and they are great people... And they love their countries, and they are in a very tough situation. "Kashmir is a very tough situation, and this has been going on for decades, and decades; shooting, and I don't mean shooting like shooting a rifle, but major shooting of howitzers, of heavy arms, and this has been going on for a long, long period of time. "But I get along really well with both of them, As you know Prime Minister Khan was here just recently. And I'm going to meet Prime Minister Modi, I will be with PM Modi over the weekend, in France. "And I think we're helping the situation, but there's tremendous problems between the two countries. And I will do the best I can to mediate or do something," he said. The US has reaffirmed that there was no change in its Kashmir policy, that it was a bilateral issue between India and Pakistan.

Donald Trump and Narendra Modi likely to discuss Kashmir issue at the G7 Meet

<ul><li>Three major films – <keyword id="198679" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Haider">Haider</keyword>, Fanaa and Mission Kashmir – offer a more nuanced look at the most militarised zone in the world than Indian history books. </li><li>the New Delhi board-designed syllabus of the Indian Council of School Examinations did not mention the special status of the state of <a href="https://www.scmp.com/topics/kashmir" class="link-text">Jammu and Kashmir</a>, the only Muslim-majority state in <a href="https://www.scmp.com/topics/india" class="link-text">India</a></li></ul> In school, the New Delhi board-designed syllabus of the Indian Council of School Examinations did not mention the special status of the state of <a href="https://www.scmp.com/topics/kashmir" class="link-text">Jammu and Kashmir</a>, the only Muslim-majority state in <a href="https://www.scmp.com/topics/india" class="link-text">India</a>.There are separate Indian state boards as well. I studied under a central board. We did not learn about the circumstances under which the state joined the Indian Union, nor that Kashmir is the most militarised zone in the world in terms of the number of armed forces personnel per square km of territory. Through my school years in the 1990s, there were news stories from the state about blasts and killings and terrorists, seemingly always about violence. Did they delve into the background of the anger? I don’t know because I did not go beyond the headlines. There was a sameness and one-sidedness to them – invariably images of fire and guns and empty streets – that never invoked interest. When the television news business arrived in a big way in India, this impression was amplified – Hollywood action movie-style visuals of gunfire and explosions and people running for cover, or reporters reporting amid the silence of empty streets patrolled by army men with enormous guns strapped to their bodies. Bombast with no context. This is unsurprising, because journalists’ access to the Valley is mediated through the army, making them structurally dependent on the armed forces and predisposing them to be favourable to their perspective. When <a href="https://www.scmp.com/topics/narendra-modi" class="link-text">Narendra Modi</a> ran for prime minister in 2014, his Bharatiya Janata Party’s manifesto promised that <keyword id="405091" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Article-370">Article 370</keyword>, which spelt out the special conditions under which the province joined the Indian Union at the time of Independence, would be removed. For a populace that was, like me, mostly unaware of its content, it was easy to latch on to simplified nuggets such as the fact that Kashmir does not allow land to be sold to Indians from other states. It sounds like a concession made to a Muslim-majority state but this land restriction exists in several states in India, and is important to prevent heedless development in ecologically sensitive areas. Strange as it may sound, it is the <a href="https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/society/article/2184614/triumph-modi-propaganda-bollywood" class="link-text">Hindi film industry</a> that has taught me the little I understand about the anger in Kashmir, about the “special” powers of the armed forces stationed there and the “special” consequences they inflicted. Three Bollywood films in particular have left an impact – Haider (2014), Fanaa(2006) and Mission Kashmir (2000). There have been several indie films, extremely well-regarded, but I choose to focus on the big-budget, big star projects of the film industry because these arguably had the widest release and reach. Haider is a reworking of Shakespeare’s Hamlet, set in the “rotten state” of Kashmir in place of Denmark. The setting is much more central to the drama here than it is in Hamlet where the rottenness of Denmark was expressed only in the suspicious death of the king. Here, politics is central to Haider’s father’s disappearance from Kashmir. We never know for certain if he is alive or dead, and this, as we see in the film, is the situation that many Kashmiri families find themselves in. <h3 style="margin-bottom: 1.42857rem; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: 300; font-stretch: inherit; font-size: 1.71429rem; line-height: 2.35714rem; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; display: inherit;"> </h3>The evocative term half-widow has arisen from this waiting without end – this is the status of Haider’s mother and many other wives who don’t know what has become of their husbands. In the uncertainty about his father (and the many fathers and brothers and sons who have been taken into custody by the forces in Kashmir and never returned), Haider (and Kashmir) is going mad. Gravediggers sing songs, they are so inured to death. Citizens hesitate to enter their own homes without a pat-down security check, they are so conditioned to being checked. Mothers beg that their sons are sent away from them because they are so afraid of losing them to the insurgency or to the limitless powers of the Indian army. Most of all, the film articulates the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) that the Indian government has imposed on the Valley, how terrifying it is when men with guns have boundless power and no one to question them. Rapes and disappearances ensue, and there is no need to answer what happened because Afspa gives you “special powers”. “Do we exist or do we not”, the film asks in a haunting choral crescendo reminding us of that original line in Hamlet, “to be or not to be”. In Fanaa (2006), a blind Kashmiri woman and a terrorist fall in love with each other during India’s Independence Day celebrations in Delhi. He is there to carry out a blast and she to dance at the national celebration: classical opposites, the nationalist and the revolutionary. After the blast, the terrorist disappears because he comes to the realisation that he would put the woman in danger because of his work. The nationalist’s blindness means she cannot locate him. Years later, fate returns him to her doorstep in Kashmir and the two reconcile briefly before she hands him over to the Indian national forces. Fanaa is nowhere near as compelling or thought-provoking as Haider, it is simply a star-crossed romance set in Kashmir. But it ends on a pointedly ambiguous note. When the couple’s son asks the mother why his father was a terrorist, she replies that he did what he thought was right. The film clearly argues that the terrorist is misguided by malevolent forces yet it refrains from making a moral call on the terrorist’s actions. Mission Kashmir (2000) is about a powerful policeman whose son dies when militants forbid doctors from treating the child. In an episode of poetic justice, the policeman kills a boy’s family in an encounter and adopts the traumatised boy. This encounter is likely carried out with the vast powers granted to Indian forces under the Afspa, certainly no questions are asked of the policeman after the encounter. But the man himself is hollowed by remorse, especially at the sight of the boy who lived. He becomes a terrorist, determined to avenge his family’s gruesome end. That classic divide is set up again, terrorist against dutiful nationalist in a land where loyalties are sharply divided. Eventually, the terrorist comes around to the Indian nation’s view, that Islamist groups are provoking young men like him to divide India. Like Haider, Mission Kashmir questions the actions of Indian forces in Kashmir, though the conclusions the two films come to are different. The policeman’s remorse suggests that the Indian state has a lot to think about and apologise for, that the unchecked power that it has granted its forces leads to <a href="https://www.scmp.com/thisweekinasia/topics/human-rights" class="link-text">human rights</a> violation that feeds the insurgency in the Valley. Haider on the other indicts the Indian state for unleashing this unapologetic, shameless military strength on the Valley. Incidentally, Mission Kashmir is made by a director who is from Kashmir himself. Haider, similarly, is written by Basharat Peer who is also a Kashmiri and has written a highly-acclaimed book on Kashmir called Curfewed Night. Both films are informed by a lived perspective of Kashmir. On August 8, 2019, when Prime Minister Modi addressed Indian citizens on Kashmir, he mentioned the prospects for films. “I urge the Hindi, Telugu and Tamil film industry to come to J&amp;K for shooting their projects,” said Modi. The Hindi film industry has long indicated that Kashmir has a special place by marketing movies filmed in the Valley, naming films using Kashmir in the title and using iconography identified as Kashmiri like the houseboat and the chinar leaf. No other Indian state has been marked as “special” like this by the Hindi film industry. There are films named after big cities like Kolkata and Mumbai and Delhi, but nothing after an entire cultural identity. Until Mission Kashmir, however, these films only did lip service to Kashmir, promoting a tourist’s view of the state, a natural “paradise” where hero and heroine fell in love. These films were not rooted in Kashmir, disengaged from its problems. Mission Kashmirnaturally is a product of its times, born out of a decade-plus of the insurgency that flared in the Valley in the late 1980s. Thereafter, as the unrest never subsided, there have been several films which offer an insider’s view of Kashmir. <h3 style="margin-bottom: 1.42857rem; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: 300; font-stretch: inherit; font-size: 1.71429rem; line-height: 2.35714rem; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; display: inherit;"><a href="https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3022046/indias-kashmir-move-attempt-shift-its-muslim-demographic" class="link-text">India’s Kashmir move: an attempt to shift its Muslim demographic? </a></h3>I’ll end with one of the opening sequences of Haider, where his (Hamlet’s) mother, a schoolteacher, is teaching the children of her class the meaning of home. “It is brothers and sisters and fathers and mothers. It is unselfish acts and kindly sharing and showing your loved ones you are always caring.” It is an obvious metaphor for the Indian nation and its fraught relationship with Kashmir, the parents and the estranged child. The filial bond is often invoked for India and <a href="https://www.scmp.com/topics/pakistan" class="link-text">Pakistan</a>– brothers separated in a bloodied moment.But there is also another metaphor here: the Indian state teaching us the history of our “home”, and our duties as citizens and how we should live like brothers and sisters at home, “unselfish acts and kindly sharing”. It brings me back to where I started, what we are taught about our home and what we are not. Every nation controls its citizenry through education and so does India. We never learned the conditions in which Kashmir joined the Indian Union, and the circumstances we created to keep it at any cost. Perhaps it is not so strange then that I learned what little I did about Kashmir from our biggest film industry. For all its commercial inclinations, its lessons feel less biased than that of the Indian state’s.

Bollywood teaches more about Kashmir than India’s schools

The stock markets in India nosedived to a five month low today, after they opened deep in the red over Kashmir and other worries. BSE Sensex dropped over 418 points today to close at 36,699 points. Nifty too shed 134 points to close at 10,862, today. In fact, the stock exchanges started spiraling within minutes of opening on Monday (August 5). Even the Indian Rupee opened over a percent lower as risk aversion increased, two days before the Reserve Bank of India is <a href="https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/markets/stocks/news/rbi-seen-set-for-4th-interest-rate-cut-of-2019/articleshow/70498598.cms">expected to cut interest rates </a>for a fourth time this year. Both local and global cues were at play in taking market sentiment down. On one hand, simmering tensions in Kashmir added to the speculation of a political upheaval in the valley that has been the centre of a <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/section-144-in-kashmir-latest-news-developments/articleshow/70529285.cms">decades-long conflict between </a>India and Pakistan. On the other hand, China too has escalated its trade war with the US. Yuan fell below 7 dollars for the first <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-08-05/china-s-offshore-yuan-tumbles-past-7-per-dollar-to-record-low">time since 2008</a>, which according to experts is a sign that China is not averse to using its currency to take US head on. The Indian problem Even before the Kashmir issue came to the fore, the stock markets have been fighting economic uncertainty only, as many business leaders <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/Narendra-Modi-has-a-new-problem-big-corporates-and-moneybags-are-angry/articleshow/70450878.cms">openly spoke of </a>a slowdown. The Kashmir issue just added fuel to the fire as <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/maruti-suzuki-july-sales-fall-by-33-5/articleshow/70477046.cms">auto sales dropped</a>, and GDP growth <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/india-gdp-growth-may-fall-below-7-says-crisil/articleshow/70481459.cms">forecasts were lowered </a>by CRISIL to 6.9% for the year. “Going forward, as we approach towards the fag end of the results season, stock specific will pick up and the key commentary from Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) and Reserve Bank of India (RBI) monetary policy amid slowdown in economy will play very crucial role in deciding the near term trend of our markets,” said a report by Karvy Stock Broking. SEE ALSO <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/maruti-suzuki-july-sales-fall-by-33-5/articleshow/70477046.cms">Maruti’s July car sales fall by a shocking 33.5%, despite heavy discounts</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/india-gdp-growth-may-fall-below-7-says-crisil/articleshow/70481459.cms">India's economic growth this year may be less than the 14-year average -- and the government is helpless</a>

Sensex and Nifty spiral down-- fears over Kashmir add to the global blues ahead of RBI policy

<ul><li>The move appears to be retaliation for Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad’s recent comments on <keyword id="6354495" type="LOCATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="kashmir">Kashmir</keyword> and a new Indian citizenship law. </li><li>India is <keyword id="8695" type="LOCATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="Malaysia">Malaysia</keyword>’s biggest palm oil customer, importing US$1.3 billion worth in 2018 and accounting for 28 per cent of the latter’s palm oil exports last year.</li></ul><ul><li> India had already raised taxes on refined palm oil from Malaysia for six months in September</li></ul> <a href="https://www.scmp.com/topics/india" class="link-text">India</a> has banned imports of refined palm oil from <a href="https://www.scmp.com/topics/malaysia" class="link-text">Malaysia</a> in what analysts say is the latest escalation of a dispute originating from Malaysian Prime Minister <a href="https://www.scmp.com/topics/mahathir-mohamad" class="link-text">Mahathir Mohamad</a>’s pointed remarks on Kashmir and New Delhi’s recently introduced new citizenship law.The ban, first revealed on Wednesday by The Edge Malaysia citing a government notification, came just a day after reports emerged that India was informally asking refiners and traders to avoid buying Malaysian palm oil. India, the world’s top importer of palm oil, was Malaysia’s biggest customer last year, accounting for 28 per cent of its palm oil exports – more than double the previous year. <a href="https://www.scmp.com/topics/indonesia" class="link-text">Indonesia</a> remains India’s single largest source of palm oil products, however, with a 60 per cent market share. About US$3.8 billion worth of palm oil was exported from Indonesia to India in 2018, compared to US$1.3 billion from Malaysia. Palm oil fruits are unloaded from a truck at a mill in Malaysia. Photo: Reuters India had already raised taxes on refined palm oil from Malaysia for six months in September to 50 per cent from the previous 45 per cent as a safeguard against import spikes following a trade agreement that was signed between the two countries in early 2018. “To support domestic refiners, Indian policymakers are looking to helping their refinery sector by using this non-tariff measure [of banning imports],” said independent political economist Khor Yu Leng. “Malaysia is facing increasing non-tariff issues from yet another big market from palm oil, just after the European Union which has expressed deforestation concerns.” Officials have repeatedly denied that ties between Delhi and Putrajaya are strained, and in October a Malaysian minister even floated the idea of increasing imports of raw <keyword id="31653" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="sugar">sugar</keyword> and buffalo meat from India in 2020. But relations seem to have deteriorated since Mahathir, 93, <a href="https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3033975/malaysia-warns-drop-palm-oil-demand-amid-new-eu-rules-and" class="link-text">described India as having “invaded and occupied” Muslim-majority Kashmir</a> , which is also claimed by neighbouring <a href="https://www.scmp.com/topics/pakistan" class="link-text">Pakistan</a>– a close ally of <a href="https://www.scmp.com/news/china" class="link-text">China</a> . Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad delivers a speech at the Kuala Lumpur Summit in December. Photo: DPA More recently, Mahathir’s remarks on India’s recently passed <a href="https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3041508/india-new-citizenship-bill-type-list-seen-nazi-germany" class="link-text">Citizenship Amendment Act</a> – which fast-tracks citizenship for nationals of certain neighbouring countries, excluding Muslims – earned Delhi’s ire, with officials there dismissing Malaysia’s criticisms as “factually inaccurate”. Speaking at <a href="https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/lifestyle-culture/article/3038829/malaysias-kl-summit-first-step-solving-muslim-worlds" class="link-text">a gathering of Muslim world leaders held in Kuala Lumpur</a> in December, Mahathir said that people were “dying because of this law, so why is there a necessity to do this thing when all this while, for 70 years almost, they have lived together as citizens without any problems?”Last year, Indians and Malaysians waged rival boycott campaigns on social media and although it is unclear how much traction these movements garnered, Khor, the economist, said it was unusual to see such discussions about the palm oil online “as it doesn't involve end consumers”. “But having tens of thousands of mentions of Malaysian palm oil online is a clear sign of issues, meaning that after that episode the level of mentions was 80 per cent higher than previously which gives us some insight into domestic angst,” Khor said. Relations between the two countries have become increasingly frosty since Mahathir’s return to power in May 2018, with disagreements cropping up on various issues, including Putrajaya’s refusal to extradite controversial Muslim preacher <a href="https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/2118129/who-zakir-naik-muslim-preacher-faces-hate-charges-india" class="link-text">Zakir Naik</a> , who is wanted in India over allegations of money laundering and inciting extremism through hate speech.Naik has permanent resident status in Malaysia and has enjoyed the protection of Mahathir’s Pakatan Harapan government, despite his remarks on race politics in the multicultural, Muslim-majority country. See also: <div type="Article" hostid="261" msid="73181921" title="Kerala is home to all 3 Indian cities in top 10 fastest-growing in the world" mstype="2" mssubtype="0"></div>

India bans Malaysian palm oil as diplomatic rift widens

<ul><li>The Indian government has been shutting down internet services in select parts of the country amid protests against the <keyword id="6564012" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="citizenship-amendment-act">Citizenship Amendment Act</keyword> (CAA).</li><li>The internet shutdowns have led an outcry from human activists that such measures aren’t coming down through the ‘right channels’.</li><li>The accelerated pace and expanse of the internet shutdowns also has China citing India as ‘setting an example’.</li><li>Businesses aren’t immune to the effects either as many online retailers rescheduled orders or reported a dip in sales.</li></ul>Amid the protests, violence and discord over India’s newly formed Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), authorities have been shutting down access to the internet in selected areas to control the situation. When the internet isn’t being shut down, it’s at least being slowed down — known as throttling. Human rights activists claim that the order did not come down the ‘right channels’ making the entire exercise ‘illegal’. 
 <div type="image" title="protest2_edited" msid="72931875" hostid="261" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Throngs of anti-CAA protests outside the Red Fort in New Delhi&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div>



 It can only be ordered by a competent authority like Union home secretary or state home secretary, but this order was not issued by them," technology lawyer Mishi Choudhary told <a href="https://telecom.economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/delhi-internet-shutdown-did-not-come-via-right-channel-digital-right-activists/72897911">ET</a>. And, this is <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/internet-shutdowns-in-india-have-skyrocketed-but-now-the-indian-government-wants-that-to-stop/articleshow/67178243.cms">not the first time</a> that the government is being accused of using <keyword id="991379" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Internet-shutdown">internet shutdown</keyword> as a ‘quick fix’ solution for ‘potentially’ volatile situations. 
 <div type="image" title="protest6_edited" msid="72931857" hostid="261" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Phone with postpaid connections finally get network access in Kashmir on 14 October 2019 after 71 days of an internet shutdown&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div>



 In fact, India has turned so infamous for it during the last few months that China — known for its strict surveillance of online activity — is citing India as an example. India’s internet shutdown shows normal practice for sovereign countries," said an editorial by Qing Qiu in <a href="http://en.people.cn/n3/2019/1217/c90000-9641267.html">People’s Daily</a> — China’s largest newspaper and a controlled entity of the country’s ruling party. Internet shutdown capital of the world The government is allowed to sanction an internet shutdown in the case of a public emergency under the Temporary Suspension of Telecom Services (Public Emergency or Public Safety) Rules, 2017. The problem is that internet shutdowns have become so common in India that it now has a reputation for being the ‘<a href="https://www.livemint.com/mint-lounge/features/inside-the-internet-shutdown-capital-of-the-world-11575644823381.html">internet shutdown capital of the world</a>’. Kashmiris had to endure a four-month-long shutdown while the networks in Assam and parts of West Bengal were sporadically cut and activated. 
 <div type="image" title="protest7_edited" msid="72931888" hostid="261" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Parts of Kashmir remain under curfew and internet black out&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div>



 Since 2012, the internet has been shut down in India a total of 375 times and most of them have occurred during the last two years — 134 in 2018 and 103 in 2019. It means that shutting down the internet in a state of emergency should be standard practice for sovereign countries," according to the <a href="http://en.people.cn/n3/2019/1217/c90000-9641267.html">People’s Daily</a> editorial. Impact of internet shutdowns The damage of an internet shutdown isn’t restricted to missing messages on WhatsApp or an update on Instagram either. Although, Prime Minister Narendra Modi did ironically try and send out a tweet his ‘brothers and sisters in Assam’ when it was under an internet blackout. 
	<div type="twitter" handle="narendramodi" handlename="Narendra Modi" image="http://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/1134082549041393672/QbihPzrL_normal.png" favoritecount="77241" retweetcount="15350" status="I want to assure my brothers and sisters of Assam that they have nothing to worry after the passing of #CAB. I wa… https://t.co/VPsj5t5opd" createdat="1576124902000" id="1204981291730341888"></div>



 Internet shutdowns are affecting businesses as well. Between 2012 to 2017, they cost the economy nearly $3 billion, according to an estimate by the Indian Council for Research on International Economic Relations (<a href="https://www.newindianexpress.com/business/2018/apr/26/internet-shutdown-cost-indian-economy-usd-3-billion-from-2012-17-study-1806393.html">ICRIER</a>). This time around, food delivery apps like Zomato, Uber Eats and Swiggy saw their <a href="https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/cabs-to-food-e-biz-hit-by-internet-shutdown/articleshow/72920805.cms">volumes dip by 10 to 20%</a> in Delhi. Grofers, an online grocery delivery service, had to reschedule 20,000 to 25,000 of its orders in Lucknow. 
 <div type="image" title="protest1_edited" msid="72931915" hostid="261" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Traffic comes to half as roads get blocked by anti-CAA protestors in New Delhi&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div>



 In addition the effect on businesses, this might not be the best time for the Indian government to be exercising its power in such a way with the Personal Data Protection Bill underway. The bill is currently under discussion by a joint committee after being tabled in the Parliament in its last session. There are concerns that it has too many loopholes that will give the government access to user data in the name of ‘national security’ or a ‘public emergency’ — the very same reason used to justify the many internet shutdowns across the country. See also: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/internet-shutdowns-in-india-have-skyrocketed-but-now-the-indian-government-wants-that-to-stop/articleshow/67178243.cms">Internet shutdowns in India have skyrocketed — but now the Indian government wants that to stop</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/All-the-countries-where-someone-managed-to-shut-down-the-entire-internet-160and-why-they-did-it/articleshow/70009168.cms">All the countries where someone managed to shut down the entire internet - and why they did it</a> <a href="http://businessinsider.in/india-accounted-for-most-number-of-intentional-internet-shutdowns-in-south-asia-2017-18-unesco/articleshow/64189016.cms">India accounted for most number of intentional internet shutdowns in South Asia 2017-18: UNESCO</a>

Indian government shut off the Internet over a 100 times in 2019 — and China is lovin' it

<ul><li>Despite pressure from Indian to put Pakistan on the "black list", the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) decided to keep the country on the "grey list".</li><li>Pakistan has been given until October 2019 to implement a comprehensive plan to curb terror financing. </li><li>In the wake of the Pulwama attack, <keyword id="3658" type="LOCATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="India">India</keyword> has reportedly been pressuring the FATF to take strict action against Pakistan.</li></ul> The Financial Action Task Force (FATF), an anti-money laundering and anti-terror financing monitoring body, has decided to keep Pakistan on its “<a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/pakistan-is-still-not-doing-enough-to-curb-terror-financing-and-time-is-running-out/articleshow/65839168.cms">grey list</a>”, instead of imposing harsher curbs on it. The FATF sets standards and assesses countries’ progress in preventing money laundering and curbing terrorist organisations’ access to finance. In the wake of the Pulwama attack, India had <a href="https://www.news18.com/news/india/all-eyes-on-fatf-today-as-india-pushes-for-pakistan-to-be-blacklisted-like-north-korea-and-iran-2044657.html">reportedly been pressuring</a> the FATF to take strict action against Pakistan. This could have resulted in Pakistan being placed on the FATF’s “blacklist”, which entails sanctions and comprehensive monitoring - a fate currently restricted to only Iran and North Korea. India had said that the attack demonstrated Pakistan’s inability to curb terror financing. Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM), a Pakistan-based terrorist outfit, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/jaish-e-mohammad-from-pakistan-kills-45-indian-soldiers-but-government-denies-link/articleshow/68003080.cms">claimed responsibility</a> for the attack. India has accused the government in the past of enabling the JeM to carry out its operations. While Pakistan recently reinstated a ban on<a href="https://www.business-standard.com/article/pti-stories/pakistan-bans-hafiz-saeed-led-jud-and-its-charity-wing-fif-119022101117_1.html"> Jamat-ud-Dawa</a>, an organisation founded by JeM mastermind Haifz Saeed, and its charity wing, this seems to be a case of too little too late. India, meanwhile, feels that the move is largely <a href="https://indianexpress.com/article/india/pakistan-reinstates-ban-on-mumbai-attack-mastermind-hafiz-saeeds-jud-its-front-fif-5595533/">a superficial one</a>, and is aimed at placating the international community amid the FATF review. In June 2018, Pakistan was put on the FATF’s grey list, for its failure to crack down on terror financing. Pakistan had earlier been on the watchlist from 2012 to 2015 for its inability to address the problem of money laundering. If it is unable to implement a <a href="https://www.dawn.com/news/1464517">27-point plan</a> to curb money laundering and terrorist financing activities within its borders, it is scheduled to be placed on the blacklist by October 2019. If Pakistan is put on the blacklist, it will still suffer. The country will see demand from foreign investors drop and the rating of its sovereign bonds downgraded which will make it more expensive for the country to access credit. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/pakistan-is-still-not-doing-enough-to-curb-terror-financing-and-time-is-running-out/articleshow/65839168.cms">Pakistan is still not doing enough to curb terror financing and time is running out</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/pm-imran-khan-warns-india-it-will-retaliate-if-attacked-following-pulwama/articleshow/68062020.cms">Pakistan PM Imran Khan says the country will retaliate if India attacks</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/jaish-e-mohammad-from-pakistan-kills-45-indian-soldiers-but-government-denies-link/articleshow/68003080.cms">Pakistan denies hand in Pulwama attack claimed by a terror outfit based there</a>

Despite Indian efforts, Pakistan avoids being blacklisted for terror financing

<ul><li>India’s central government’s <keyword id="116246" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="Department-of-Telecommunications">Department of Telecommunications</keyword> has issued a notice to the state governments to keep from implementing ‘unwarranted’ <keyword id="6471018" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Internet-Shutdowns-in-India">internet shutdowns in India</keyword>. </li><li><keyword id="3944051" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Internet-Shutdowns">Internet shutdowns</keyword> in India have skyrocketed to being the highest in the world, with 40% of them occurring the volatile state of Jammu and Kashmir. </li><li>The DoT has asked the state governments to thoroughly ensure that they are following the parameters set by the Telegraph Act.</li></ul>The Indian government’s Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has issued a notice to its state governments warning against issuing an ‘internet shutdown’ in situations where ‘public emergency’ or ‘public safety’ are not in question. Those are the two clearly identified rules of the Telegraph Act that allows for the ‘temporary suspension of telecom services’. The parameters for internet shutdowns in India may be broad, but they are clear in their intent. Despite this clarity, internet shutdowns in India are the <a href="https://www.internetshutdowns.in/">highest in the world</a> with 130 shutdowns occuring in 2018 according to the internet shutdown tracker by the Software Freedom Law Center. That’s nearly double the amount from 2017 that stood at 79 internet shutdowns in India. Here’s how states manage to manage to overlook a basic law The Indian government is well aware of the problem and knows that in certain cases this could be treated as a violation of basic human rights. Especially in the a state like Jammu and Kashmir that has cumulatively lost its access to internet for <a href="https://sflc.in/sites/default/files/reports/Living%20in%20Digital%20Darkness%20-%20A%20Handbook%20on%20Internet%20Shutdowns%20in%20India%2c%20May%202018%20-%20by%20SFLCin.pdf">nearly a month</a> over the last four years. Of the total number of shutdowns this year, 40% of them happened in that state. The <a href="https://thewire.in/government/jammu-kashmir-has-lost-18-days-of-mobile-internet-access-over-last-four-years">reasons of revoking</a> citizens’ access to internet ranges from blocking access to social media to blocking off all telecom services in specific localities. But, in most cases it has been a statewide shutdown of the internet under the guise of protests, agitation and ‘precautionary measures’. Internet shutdowns have become a tool in the hands of state government and law enforcement authorities where they need a ‘quick-fix’ solution to ‘potentially’ volatile situation. And, in every scenario, there are arguments to be made on the legitimacy of the reasons by implementing an internet shutdown in India. Especially when you look at the example of the internet shutdown in the western state of Rajasthan, where the state government <a href="https://www.medianama.com/2018/08/223-rajasthan-orders-its-26th-internet-shutdown-in-2018-seconds-jk/">justified</a> it was to ‘prevent cheating during examinations’. Public safety was not in question and neither was it a public emergency as stipulated by the Telegraph Act. An estimate by the Indian Council for Research on International Economic Relations (ICRIER) from earlier this year projects that internet shutdowns in India may have <a href="http://www.newindianexpress.com/business/2018/apr/26/internet-shutdown-cost-indian-economy-usd-3-billion-from-2012-17-study-1806393.html">cost the economy</a> nearly $3 billion between the years of 2012 and 2017 — not to mention the hampering the Digital India initiative, as highlighted by the DoT’s directive. This what the full notice of the DoT said: <div type="image" title="DoT" msid="67178347" hostid="261"></div>

 See also: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/india-accounted-for-most-number-of-intentional-internet-shutdowns-in-south-asia-2017-18-unesco/articleshow/64189016.cms">India accounted for most number of intentional internet shutdowns in South Asia 2017-18: UNESCO</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/half-of-indias-atms-may-shut-down-in-the-next-4-months/articleshow/66735303.cms">Half of India's ATMs may shut down in the next 4 months</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/india-is-the-second-most-plagued-country-by-spam-calls-says-truecaller/articleshow/67172582.cms">India is the second most-plagued country by spam calls, says Truecaller</a>

Internet shutdowns in India have skyrocketed — but now the Indian government wants that to stop

The results of Pakistan’s national elections are yet to be finalised, but it looks like <keyword id="14676" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Imran-Khan">Imran Khan</keyword>’s Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) is set to win the most seats in the National Assembly, paving the way for the former captain of the Pakistani cricket team to become the country’s next prime minister. Given the backing Khan has from the army, some have already declared that his electoral victory was assured. This election is a significant one. Not just for Pakistan, which is witnessing only the second consecutive transition of power between civilian governments in its 71-year history, but also for <keyword id="3658" type="LOCATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="India">India</keyword>. The new prime minister will set the tone for the country’s relationship with India for the next five years. The former Prime Minister <keyword id="6576" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Nawaz-Sharif">Nawaz Sharif</keyword>, currently in jail on corruption charges, was a strong proponent of better ties with India, something the Pakistani military was reportedly against. While it might be too early to predict how the India-Pakistan relationship will progress over the next five years, and if at all, here is what one can expect from Imran Khan if he becomes prime minister. A potential improvement in trade ties In the buildup to elections, Imran Khan has been vocal about the sorry state of Pakistan’s finances. At PKR10.6 trillion, the country’s debt is around <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-05-30/imf-bailout-looms-for-pakistan-as-debt-surge-raises-alarm">31% of its GDP</a>, and is increasing even more due to the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). As part of his “New Pakistan” platform, he has pledged to fix the economy and provide better infrastructure and jobs. As a possible solution to the problem, Khan has advocated for <a href="http://www.dnaindia.com/world/report-imran-khan-pakistan-is-bankrupt-better-india-ties-will-boost-trade-2640517">a stronger trade partnership</a> with India, which could mean that the country gets designated with the Non-Discriminatory Market Access (NDMA) once he’s elected. The PTI’s manifesto has called for strategic talks with India on a host of issues including trade. This does, however, marks a complete about-turn from the party’s stance in November 2016, when it called for <a href="https://www.firstpost.com/world/imran-khans-tehreek-e-insaf-calls-for-pakistan-to-sever-trade-ties-with-india-3127470.html">an end to trade ties</a> with India after a skirmish at the Kashmir border which resulted in the deaths of 13 people. A less-conciliatory approach on the Kashmir issue While Khan recognises that the Kashmir issue is a huge impediment to a mutually beneficial Indo-Pak relationship, he hasn’t offered anything substantial in the way of a solution and has made no mention of the government’s funding of proxy terrorist outfits. He has toed the line on the Kashmir issue, choosing to echo the oft-quoted “need for peace” and conflict resolution based on proposals from the UN Security Council. The Pakistani army’s disapproval of Nawaz Sharif’s conciliatory approach to the Kashmir issue can give us a clue to what Khan’s policy will be. He could very likely end up taking a hardliner approach after caving in to pressure from the military establishment. Conversely, he could end up taking a more cooperative approach in the interest of stronger trade ties. However, the Pakistani army’s interests lie in continued tensions along the Kashmir border, which justifies high defense spending. The maintenance of the status quo Even though Imran Khan founded the PTI with the goal of transforming Pakistan, his drubbing in the 2013 elections caused him to adopt a pro-military and pro-Islamist stance - a political maneuver that has paid off this year. While he lacks a strong political philosophy, the army’s tacit endorsement and public’s disillusionment with PTI’s rival parties has helped him win political favour. But he lacks experience, and the strings of his government will likely end up being pulled by the army. In short, there doesn’t seem to be any real change on the cards for the India-Pakistan relationship. As the country’s prime minister, Khan’s foreign policy will be in the vein of his predecessors. He will make overtures to neighbours like India and try and make progress on issues like trade and connectivity, but only with the approval of the “deep state”. In Pakistan, prime ministers may come and go and political parties may rise and fall, but the army remains. As a result, so does the Indo-Pak relationship.

You Searched For "Kashmir problems" and got 13 results

Elections 2019: Democracy’s appeal is under test in the shadow of the world’s highest battleground

Sanchita Dash

Jammu & Kashmir calls on Tesla’s BlackHOLE tech to solve its trash problems

Prabhjote Gill

Lockdown cripples migratory beekeepers of Jammu and Kashmir

PTI

Kashmir forces are fighting against fake news in times of pandemic

IANS

Transgender people in Kashmir are leading an 'invisible life' as security crackdowns and discrimination come to a head

Robert Leslie

Donald Trump and Narendra Modi likely to discuss Kashmir issue at the G7 Meet

Bollywood teaches more about Kashmir than India’s schools

SCMP

Sensex and Nifty spiral down-- fears over Kashmir add to the global blues ahead of RBI policy

Katya Naidu

India bans Malaysian palm oil as diplomatic rift widens

SCMP

Indian government shut off the Internet over a 100 times in 2019 — and China is lovin' it

Prabhjote Gill

Despite Indian efforts, Pakistan avoids being blacklisted for terror financing

Dilsher Dhillon

Internet shutdowns in India have skyrocketed — but now the Indian government wants that to stop

Prabhjote Gill

Here’s what Imran Khan becoming prime minister could mean for India

Dilsher Dhillon

Popular Keywords

Buying Guides