TORONTO (CANADA) The Toronto-based International Freedom of Expression Exchange (IFEX), a global network of over a hundred non-governmental organisations striving for freedom of expression, has called for an end to gag on 4G mobile internet in occupied Kashmir amid the prevailing coronavirus pandemic. The IFEX in a statement posted on its website said the pandemic and the simultaneous lockdown that have forced people the world over locked up indoors have had an even more crippling impact as high speed internet remains blocked for over eight months in occupied Kashmir. The statement endorsed by 37 national media unions from South Asia as well as global media advocacy and freedom of expression organisations is part of a solidarity campaign started jointly by the South Asian Media Solidarity Network (SAMSN) and the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) titled ‘Postcards from Kashmir’. The campaign tells inside stories of Kashmiri journalists, who bore the brunt of the communications blackout throughout the months of lockdown. “The lockdown has had an even more crippling impact due to lack of access to high-speed mobile internet to provide people access to critical information and medical research. The region’s 4G mobile internet is yet to be restored after it was shut down eight months ago,” it said.—KMS
