India Shuts Down Net Access In Kashmir, Says Pakistan

Pakistan's long-standing feud with neighbor India has escalated in the past month after India blamed an attack on the Indian parliament on Pakistan-based Kashmiri separatist groups. A military build-up has been accompanied by travel bans and sanctions. Kashmir has long been a focus of hostilities, with Islamic militants fighting Indian rule since independence from Britain in 1947. Indian authorities in its section of Kashmir have withdrawn Internet services, according to a Pakistan government news service. The government claimed the ban was instituted on Dec.18, and is meant to prevent Muslims in Indian-held Kashmir from contacting people in Pakistan. The government news service also claimed Kashmir-based cable TV operators have been ordered to cancel any Pakistan TV programming.