Gov't Offices, Some Schools Reopen In Indian-Administered Kashmir Amid Lockdown - Reports

All government offices and some schools reopened in Srinagar, the largest city in Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir, on Monday amid a security lockdown following the government's decision to strip the state of its special status and split it into two union territories, media reported, citing authorities

NEW DELHI (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 19th August, 2019) All government offices and some schools reopened in Srinagar, the largest city in Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir, on Monday amid a security lockdown following the government's decision to strip the state of its special status and split it into two union territories, media reported, citing authorities.

The officials also said that two-thirds the state's telephone lines had been restored, the NDTV broadcaster reported.

"We have opened schools only in some areas after reviewing security there. We appeal to parents to send their children wherever schools have been reopened.

Security is our responsibility," Shahid Iqbal, the deputy commissioner of Srinagar, was quoted as saying by the tv channel.

Internet and phone communications were cut and additional troops were deployed to Jammu and Kashmir to maintain order in the wake of the decision to end its special status, which had granted the state a certain degree of autonomy for several decades.

The move prompted clashes on the Indian-Pakistani line of control and led Islamabad to downgrade its diplomatic relations and suspend trade with India.�