A spokesman for the Pakistani government in Kashmir said there were no reports of cell towers destroyed during protests that rocked the region in May 2024, contrary to reports on Facebook and X that claimed to show photos of the damaged buildings. The images – taken before the protests – show telephone towers attacked in 2022 and 2023.
“Kashmiris are now tearing down mobile phone towers,” one report said after on social media platform X that shared the photos on May 12, 2024.
“Kashmiris say if we can’t get internet in this difficult time, we don’t even need these poles from you.”
The photos show a collapsed telephone tower and a charred structure with a hole in the roof.
Four people were killed in Pakistani-administered Kashmir – a semi-autonomous region with its own regional government – after paramilitary forces collided with demonstrators opposing the rising cost of living.
The internet was largely shut down during the demonstrations, which ended on May 14 after organizers accepted a government offer of financial aid.
The Himalayan region is divided between India and Pakistan, both of which have full claim to it.