Kashmiris outside J&K take to Twitter for news of folks back home

As Kashmir remains in a state of shutdown, without mobile and phone connectivity, those with families and friends in the valley are worried about the situation there, desperately waiting to hear from their loved ones. Kashmiris settled outside the state in India as well as abroad have taken to Twitter to share their anxiety about the ground situation in Kashmir and the feeling of helplessness about being away from their loved ones.

Some speak about their inability to communicate with their folks in the curfewed state and others shared screenshots of their last conversations. M Junaid whose Twitter bio says he is a cultural anthropologist, said in a series of tweets on Tuesday morning that the last 24 hours have been the longest for him.

"Friends and family in #Kashmir were sending messages over the last few days asking if India has some sort of a final solution in mind. It was too hard to give comfort or say everything will be fine. Now the messages have stopped coming. The long night has begun #StandwithKashmir." In a following tweet he wrote, "Just so that you know, we have still not been able to speak with our families in Kashmir. There are dark whispers being shared about South Kashmir where my folks are. It has been the longest 24 hours, and there seems no end in sight..." (sic)

The Rajya Sabha had on Monday passed a resolution to abrogate provisions of Article 370 that gave Jammu and Kashmir special status. The House also passed a bill to split the state into two union territories -- Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh. An unprecedented security cover and several restrictions are in place in Kashmir. While police officials in the state have assured that the law and order situation is "totally peaceful", the lack of communication and interaction has left several anxious.

Toufiq Rashid, a journalist, said that she had no idea about her family members living in Kashmir, some of whom suffered from multiple ailments. "I have no idea how my husband is. I am forcing myself to watch the mindless news in the channel he works for but they seemed to have blocked him for now. My tickets are booked for coming Eid, my children want to go home. I am struggling to make them understand that even if we land in Srinagar, there is no way we can make it home," she said.

Another user of the micro-blogging site said he has been getting panic attacks ever since he lost contact with his family. "I am outside Kashmir and in New Delhi. We are in utter fear and I have anxiety issues and it just worsened. I am having panic attacks and it is getting worse as the moments pass without any contact with the family," he wrote.

Unable to express their pain in words, many simply shared the last conversations they had with their loved ones. A Delhi-based associate fellow with the Observer Research Foundation Khalid Shah tweeted, "On my last phone call my mother said: "how will you get to know if I die?"

Another user shared a conversation with a college junior who has family in the valley. "A junior of mine from India occupied Kashmir sitting next to me in auditorium was so depressed that he started talking to me today and said, 'Baba had called me three days back and said itne paise bhej diye hain k aapka mbbs ho jaye, apna khayal rakhna, bohot acche doctor banna, aur kaisi bhi khabar as jaye ghar wapis na ana...'," he wrote. Baba Umar's parents advised him against paying them a visit in their "parting conversation".

"In parting conversation with parents, despondency was deep. they said: don’t come for #Eid, what's there to celebrate in a siege, phones won't work soon, life will be curfewed, soldiers -- occupying streets and lanes -- will seek obedience, we're looking at a mini-war or massacres," he tweeted. Unsure of the situation in the valley Farah Bashir is worried for the health of her mother who suffers from acute osteoporosis and hasn't been able to visit her physiotherapist.

"My mother’s bones are turning into powder due to acute osteoporosis. She has to go for physiotherapy daily to build muscles to support her fragile bone structure. Now she can't. By the time, the curfew and clampdown is lifted, how many of her bones will be gone? I don’t know," she wrote. Bollywood actor Huma Qureshi also took to Twitter looking to gather whatever information she could.

"Does anyone know what is happening in #Kashmir ?? Not able to speak to anyone from the family there ... I pray that everyone is safe," she wrote. The situation has also upset the travel plans of some who were hoping to be home for Eid celebrations on August 11.

"I waited almost 26 months to celebrate this Eid with my family back in kashmir and tomorrow is my flight still i m not sure whether to travel or not #KashmirBleeds," Najar Zubair who is based out of Riyadh in Saudi Arabia, posted. Sameer Mufti said he did not have an answer for his six- year-old son who wanted to know if his grandparents would be visiting him on Eid.

"Today my 6 year old son was asking me if his grandparents are coming from Kashmir tomorrow for Eid as planned. He has been waiting for them for over a month. What should I tell him? Coz I don't know really....No contact since 4th night...I will be at the airport waiting..." he wrote.