Opinion | PoJK Without Internet for 100 Days: Impact on Everyday Life

The real question is therefore not simply why Pakistan switched off the internet, but what Pakistan fears the world and its own people would see if PoJK were allowed to speak freely.

Pakistan occupied Jammu and Kashmir has been under severe crackdown at the hands of Pakistani authorities for over three months now. The basic demand of local residents was economic and political reforms and a solution to the highly controversial 12 refugee seats that locals claim is used by Pakistan to engineer electoral outcomes in Islamabad’s favour, putting a government in PoJK that dances to Islamabad’s tunes. It was on 5th June when these demands took the shape of mass scale protests, right after Pakistan banned the only umbrella voice of JAAC under the draconian anti-terrorism law, with its members being mass detained and intimidated, as per reports. The widespread protests and the Pakistani response led to killings and injuries, with 20 being killed on a single day, as reported by Al Jazeera, which faced a ban in Pakistan, while new strict guidelines were issued for media personnel. As the protests intensified, the elections, which were supposed to be held in a single phase, were instead conducted in three phases, with election days marred by violence and deaths. The disruption and bloodshed reflect the deep level of unrest and anger among the people of PoJK against the Pakistani authorities. Pakistan imposed a brutal crackdown that saw the closure of schools, colleges, businesses, tourism, healthcare services, transport, food supplies, and the internet, among other essential services.

In today’s world, the internet is not a means of entertainment or recreation but a backbone of society, from healthcare to education, employment, communication and the economy to almost everything we can imagine. The internet is deeply integrated into our daily lives, and when this basic facility is taken away, normal life gets brutally disrupted. On 15th September, PoJK unfortunately completed 100 days without internet.

One of the most immediate impacts has been on banking and business. Access to online banking platforms remained unavailable, making digital transactions difficult. Imagine you have to send money to your loved one who is in medical emergency but can’t because of the blockade, and you can’t complaint the helplessness, if that blockade leads to any fatality who is responsible? And there are many more cases where this blockade has prevented emergencies from being addressed for locals leading to losses in any form. Students have also paid a heavy price. The disruption affected the academic year and contributed to the postponement of entrance examinations. In an era when students depend on online lectures, study material, examination information, applications and digital learning platforms, a prolonged internet suspension seriously disrupts education. Businesses, professionals and households were similarly affected. Freelancers and people whose work depends on online platforms were unable to function normally. Journalists faced difficulties in accessing and sharing information, while ordinary families stay deprived of reliable digital communication.

The emotional side of this blockade remains largely unseen and unnoticed. A son working in major cities in Pakistan or abroad cannot talk to his ill mother or facetime her. A father living away from his family cannot know about his families’ wellbeing, his pregnant wife, his small child or his ailing parents. A family that relies on their son’s remittances may not even get to hear his voice. Someone cannot talk to a sick relative admitted to a hospital. Imagine, in such a tense situation, where the occupied region remains locked down and reports of deaths and injuries emerge daily, people are unable to learn about the wellbeing of their loved ones. A sister is separated from her brother, a daughter from her father, a friend from his friend, and so on. This is the emotional toll of the communication shutdown enforced upon the people of PoJK by the Pakistani authorities.

Now the question remains: what does Pakistan actually achieve by imposing such a prolonged communication lockdown? What objective does Pakistan gain by cutting an entire population off from the digital world while being fully aware of its grave consequences? The answer lies in the fact that Pakistan wants to suppress voices, silence the media, curb freedom of speech and expression, control information, and control what the world gets to see about PoJK. It does not want the world to know what is really happening in PoJK, what its authorities are doing to the people, or how deep the anger against Islamabad has become. The carefully manufactured image of so-called Azad Kashmir would be exposed to the world if independent journalists were allowed to freely enter the region, speak to locals, and document events on the ground.

Al Jazeera reported 20 deaths and was subsequently banned in Pakistan. That itself demonstrates how sensitive independent reporting on PoJK has become. Imagine the scale of international scrutiny if journalists from other parts of the world were freely able to enter PoJK and document the killings, injuries, protests, shortages, shutdowns and the treatment of civilians. To prevent such exposure, Pakistan issued new media guidelines that imposed tighter restrictions on the press, further narrowing the space for journalists to report on the crackdown.

The internet shutdown therefore appears to serve a purpose far beyond maintaining so called theatre of law and order. It cuts the region off from the outside world while simultaneously preventing information from travelling outward. It also leaves people inside PoJK unable to freely communicate, verify reports, learn about developments or even know whether their loved ones are safe. In a region witnessing protests, deaths and injuries, cutting communication for 100 days means cutting people off from both information and each other. The real question is therefore not simply why Pakistan switched off the internet, but what Pakistan fears the world and its own people would see if PoJK were allowed to speak freely.

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