Kashmiri Ban on SMSs Causes Surge in Sale of Greetings Cards

A ban on sending SMSs in India's Kashmir has had an unexpected side effect - a surge in sales of greetings cards. In the run up to the Eid festivities, where people had become used to sending SMS greetings, they are having to hand over greetings cards instead.

"The sale of greetings cards has increased manifold after SMS service was banned here. Before the introduction of the mobile phones in the Valley we were making great business, but after the launch of cellular services, our business came down to bottom," Nisar Ahmad, proprietor, Ecstasy Stationers at Regal Chowk told the local Greater Kashmir newspaper.

"But then, after the SMS services were banned, our business started picking up now the sales this time have increased by 70 per cent," he added.

The regional government argued that recent violence in the area is being fueled by malicious and incorrect messages being forward around by SMS and imposed a blanket ban on the mobile networks providing text message services earlier this year. The Supreme court upheld the ban in August following a complaint from the Bar Association of Jammu.

Posted to the site on 7th December 2008