AJK Internet Shutdown Threatens Industrial Shutdown in Mirpur;

Altaf Hamid Rao MIRPUR ,(Parliament Times):The business community in Azad Jammu and Kashmir here on Thursday warned that all industrial units in Mirpur will be locked down if internet services are not restored by Saturday, August 15, AJKCCI announced. The warning was issued at an important meeting of the Azad Jammu and Kashmir Chamber of Commerce and Industry, chaired by Chamber President Umar Shehzad Jerai. Dozens of industrialists representing small, large and various other industries operating in Mirpur attended the meeting. The participants expressed serious concern over the prolonged suspension of internet services in Mirpur and other parts of AJK, saying the disruption had severely affected industrial and commercial activities and caused losses running into millions of rupees. The industrialists said internet connectivity had become an essential requirement for modern business, industry, exports, banking, online payments, communication and other commercial activities. The prolonged outage had disrupted the functioning of industries and made it difficult for local businesses to maintain contact with business partners in other parts of the country and abroad. They said the suspension of internet services was affecting orders, payments and other business transactions, while industrialists were no longer in a position to absorb further losses. The participants noted that even during the Covid-19 pandemic, a major portion of business and office activities continued through internet and information technology, with online business gaining significant momentum. They said repeated suspension of internet services in AJK on security grounds was now seriously undermining economic and industrial activity in the region. The meeting demanded that the government and administration take effective and permanent measures to improve the law-and-order situation while ensuring uninterrupted facilities for businesses and industries. It was unanimously decided that if internet services were not restored by August 15, all industrial units in Mirpur would be locked as a protest and their keys handed over to the Chamber of Commerce. Chamber President Umar Shehzad Jerai urged the government and relevant authorities to take immediate notice of the situation and restore internet services without further delay. He said the Chamber could not remain silent over the huge financial losses being suffered by industrialists. He added that if the deadline expired without restoration of internet connectivity, the keys of all industrial units would also be submitted to the Mirpur Commissioner's office, while the Chamber would announce its further course of action. Jerai urged the government and administration to ensure the immediate restoration of internet services to keep the wheels of industry and commerce moving and prevent further losses to the business community.