'No change in US policy on J&K,' says US State Department; lets Twitter fend for itself

On Wednesday, State Department Spokesperson of United States Ned Price said that there will be no change in its policy on Jammu and Kashmir.

"I want to be very clear there has been no change in US policy in the region," Ned Price said, reported PTI 

READ | US Welcomes Resumption Of 4G Services In J&K, Says 'Important Step For Local Residents'

Price said this in reference of a tweet from the South and Central Asia Bureau of the State Department, which welcomed the resumption of 4G mobile internet in Jammu and Kashmir.

The United States on Wednesday welcomed the resumption of 4G internet services in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir calling it an important step for local residents. The Jammu and Kashmir administration on February 5 decided to restore the 4G internet services in the UT.

READ | 4G Mobile Internet Services Restored In Entire J&K After 18 Months

Responding to a question related to Twitter shutting down some accounts in India, Price said we are committed to supporting democratic values and for Twitter policies, it's better to refer Twitter itself.

"Well, I think what I would say generally is that around the world and this goes back to what I was saying before we are committed to supporting democratic values, including freedom of expression. I think when it comes to Twitter's policies, we''d have to refer you to Twitter itself," he said, reported PTI.

READ | Twitter Watching? Centre Uses Koo To Call Out Its 'unusual' Blog Post; Sets Record Clear

4G services restored after 18 months

On February 5, the 4G mobile internet services in Jammu and Kashmir were suspended after the abrogation of Article 370 and the bifurcation of Jammu and Kashmir into two union territories in August 2019. However, 2G service on mobile phones was restored on January 25 this year and after 18 months the 48 services have been restored. Principal Secretary of the Home Department Shaleen Kabra issued a notification and directed the Inspectors General of Kashmir and Jammu to "closely monitor the impact of the lifting of restrictions".

National Conference (NC) vice-president Omar Abdullah on Friday welcomed the move to restore high-speed 4G mobile internet services in Jammu and Kashmir, saying it was better late than never. The announcement about the restoration of high-speed mobile internet came from Jammu and Kashmir administration spokesperson and Principal Secretary Rohit Kansal who said on Twitter "4G mobile internet services being restored in entire J&K".

READ | Twitter Watching? Centre Uses Koo To Call Out Its 'unusual' Blog Post; Sets Record Clear

(With PTI Inputs)