Jammu, Nov 4
Home Minister P. Chidambaram Wednesday evening ruled out lifting the ban on pre-paid mobile connections in Jammu and Kashmir in the near future.
Addressing a press conference in Jammu in the evening, the home minister said there were security concerns that guided the decision of his ministry.
The announcement has dealt a serious blow to the leadership of Kashmir that was hoping for an announcement reversing the ban.
The state has nearly four million pre-paid connections. The ban came into effect Nov 1.