Ban on pre-paid mobiles in Kashmir to stay, says Chidambaram

Jammu, Nov 4 : Home Minister P. Chidambaram Wednesday said that the ban on pre-paid mobile connections in Jammu and Kashmir will continue because of security concerns.

Chidambaram, who was in Jammu on a day-long visit, told mediapersons at a press conference that security concerns were high and there was a ban on pre-paid mobile connections in Jammu and Kashmir because of that.

"Our security concerns have guided our hands on the issue," he said.

As per a notification of the union home ministry, all the service providers in Jammu and Kashmir have been asked to stop issuing new SIM cards for pre-paid mobile connections and also not to re-charge the existing ones after Nov 1.

The ban came into effect from Nov 1, affecting 3.8 million subscribers across the state.

"We will be holding a meeting with the service providers and will explain the whole scenario on the security front. There would be no compromise on security," he said.

Chidambaram also held a security review meeting and voiced "satisfaction over the situation".

Referring to American intelligence agency Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) unearthing a terror plot of Lashkar-e-Taiba targeting the National Defence College, Delhi, the home minister said: "There is nothing to get alarmed about. The situation is under control."

--IANS