Internet shutdown crosses 100 days in Pakistan-administered Kashmir

Pakistan-administered Kashmir has been under a partial internet shutdown for more than 100 days after authorities suspended mobile data and broadband on June 5 amid mass protests demanding electoral reform. The unrest followed a government ban on the Jammu Kashmir Joint Awami Action Committee, which had called for removing 12 legislature seats reserved for refugees from Indian-administered Kashmir. Staggered elections proceeded in three rounds with the final phase on August 10 and a new government sworn in, but voting was not held in some protest strongholds for security reasons. NetBlocks, an independent monitor of internet disruptions, reports the blackout has been continuous since the shutdown began.

The communication blackout has had wide-ranging impacts on daily life and the economy: online banking and key websites remain inaccessible, businesses face disruption, and the academic year has been interrupted with entrance exams postponed. Protests met with force culminated in deadly clashes on July 27; local accounts put the death toll at more than 50, including seven law enforcement personnel, though those figures have not been independently verified. The shutdown persists despite the new administration, leaving residents cut off from services and information in a region governed under a semi-autonomous system with a 45-seat assembly.