Jammu and Kashmir Governor Satya Pal Malik on Monday said boys and girls in the state would now be able to speak to each other as mobile phone services were restored, PTI reported.

Postpaid mobile phone connections were restored in the Valley on Monday, 72 days after restrictions were imposed ahead of the Centre’s decision to scrap Jammu and Kashmir special constitutional status. Internet services, however, are still down.

“Young boys and girls were having difficulties earlier but now they can speak to each other,” Malik told reporters in Srinagar. “Now, there are no issues. Very soon, we will restore internet services.”

The governor claimed that telephone services were stopped “because terrorists were using them for their activities, mobilisation and indoctrination”. He added: “For us, the life of a Kashmiri was important and not telephone. People were living without telephones earlier also.”

Malik claimed that the situation in the Valley was normal and there had been no violence in the last two months. “Not a single bullet has been fired” and there have been no protests, he added.

“The prime minister [Narendra Modi] had congratulated me for this [the peaceful situation],” Malik said. “I said that I am not worthy of the praise and you should thank the Kashmiri people and the police forces for taking steps to ensure that law and order is maintained.”

On October 10, the Jammu and Kashmir administration withdrew an advisory that had urged all tourists to leave the Valley. On Friday, the government issued full-page advertisements in local newspapers, requesting residents to return to normal life without fear from militants.

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