With the five-month internet ban in Kashmir, following the revocation of their sovereignty by the Indian government, there is almost no news of betterment from the region.
Contrary to what the West believes about the Valley, it functioned like any normal city before the armed forces took over, detaining multiple social activists, killing hundreds of people and kidnapping young children who tried to exercise freedom of control.
The YouTube channel called Kashmiri Kalkharabs was top-rated among the locals for its hilarious socio-political commentary on the situation of the region and the figures that govern it. You can watch the full video of the report here:
https://www.bbc.com/news/av/world-asia-india-51263792/the-silenced-youtube-stars-of-indian-administered-kashmir
However, following the ban, the voices of such platforms have been silenced, and Kashmiri Kalkharabs say that they have not earned a single penny of revenue in the last five months. They sit without any external help from the first world countries as the military continues to inflict atrocities and injustice on the citizens.
From the looks of it, the current governing party of India, BJP has done nothing to improve the situation in the valley since the revocation of Article 370 that took away their right to be ruled independently. Protests in Pakistan that has a 73-year-old feud with India over the Kashmir issue continue for the freedom of the state.
From electricity and water supplies to education, everything is on hold in the district, and so far, organizations like the United Nations have not called for any definite action.
BBC’s reporter, Aamir Peerzada met the team behind the YouTube channel in the capital, Srinagar and they explained how “sadness and depression” prevail while there is nothing they can do about the situation in the now Indian-administered territory. One of the members who is a famous Kashmiri Youtuber says that there is fear across the region and even though they used to make satirical videos related to politics, they feel they have to be “cautious” about their content when or if the ban is revoked.