The jittery Omar Abdullah Government in Jammu & Kashmir has decided to lift ban on Short Messaging Service (SMS) on pre-paid mobile phones in an attempt to reach out to common people following the debacle in recent parliamentary polls.
The SMS service was banned in 2010 summer as a law and order measure as the authorities suspected the public uprising that claimed more than a hundred civilians, intensified by SMSes. The authorities said that the cellphones acted like rumour carriers.
The Department of Home Affairs that functions under the Chief Minister issued instructions to the service operators to block SMS. Initially the service was blocked on all cell phones but later the post-paid connections were exempted.
“On the instructions of Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, the restriction on SMS to the pre-paid cell phones in the State has been revoked. The subscribers of pre-paid cell phones had made requests to the Chief Minister in this regard and he issued instructions to the concerned agencies to lift the said restriction,” an official spokesman said on Tuesday.
The CM’s instructions came on a day when the Core Group of his party, the National Conference — concluded three-day marathon meeting to discuss causes of the recent poll debacle. All three MPs of the ruling party who were seeking re-election from Valley constituencies lost to their People’s Democratic Party (PDP) rivals, bringing utter humiliation to the party. The worst defeat was that of party patron and former Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah who lost election from Srinagar, once considered as the party’s strong fort.
Omar Abdullah has said that his Government would try to mend ways before the Assembly elections are held in November this year. The party leadership has apologised for the 2010 civilian killings and conceded that Afzal Guru’s execution was a negative development for the prospects of the party.
Abdullah has announced that he would not resign but continue to bridge the gap with the common people before facing them again in the upcoming elections.