The areas of Jammu and Kashmir, located right in the North of India, between Pakistan and China are known in the history as a disputed area between India and Pakistan. These regions are much of a farmland.



Ever since 1989 the controversy over Kashmir has taken a violent turn in the valley; the Kashmiri people themselves have taken up arms against the Indian occupation. As a response to that, India is now deploying more than 700,000 troops in the valley to crush the Freedom Movement.

However, the areas are being covered by the satellite phones today, as the army brought the devices to the local people.Ghulam Mohammad Rasool, who is the food department officer can now communicate with the office, in the Kishtawar town, due to the Inmarsat phone, which was installed by the army.

"Many of our problems are solved by this phone because we can get in touch with our relatives in Jammu, Srinagar or Kishtawar through this satellite phone," he says. Nevertheless, he expresses his frustrations regarded to the communicational system: "We just get two hours and that is not sufficient. Only few people are benefitted by this phone. It is a big area and so phone cannot cater to all the people,"

Listening to the local people’s requests, the Army is now planning to install more satellite phones in the area and also train the people to use them.

"The response is good, people are coming from far flung villages here. The approximate distance from where the people are coming is 20 kilometres, because they have come to know that there is some facility for them to get in touch with the world," said Captain R K Singh.

Although everywhere else in the world the revolution of communication it is winning ground every day, in this part of the world, satellite phones are considered as the most incredible miracles of the world and worshiped by the technologically innocent locals. They seem to be thanking the Army with gestures and mimics, while residents say that they will always keep it close to their heart.