By Izhar Wani

Secret lovers in Indian-controlled Kashmir, used to arranging trysts on their mobile phones, are up in arms over a ban on pre-paid connections announced last week by the government.

Justified on security grounds after a string of bomb blasts triggered by pre-paid mobiles, the ban affects 3.8 million users in this socially conservative, Muslim-majority region where romance is taboo.

Pre-paid connections might well be the choice of anti-India militants, say angry young sweethearts, but they are also a lifeline for couples wanting to avoid detection from disapproving parents or prying elders.

"For a few hundred militants they have made tens of thousands (of people) suffer," one female 24-year-old university student who is worried about her relationship told AFP, asking not to be named.

"I know I am committing a sin, but I love Mehran (name changed) and I can't even think of living without him," she added.

In an area where home Internet connections are reserved for the wealthy, there are few alternatives for illicit chats than pre-paid mobile phones which were easily bought in shops and had become popular gifts for couples.

"The ban will hit us hard... I don't want to get into the post-paid business of (police) verifications and detailed bills arriving at your residence. I'll get caught," said the student.

Post-paid -- mobiles paid on a monthly basis -- can only be bought after a series of security checks and official registration of personal details and passport photographs.

Pre-paid phones come with a set number of minutes charged on them, have no bills and were available without detailed ID checks.

India banned pre-paid connections on Sunday following concerns that militants were using them to trigger bombs in Kashmir, the scene of a 20-year insurgency against rule by New Delhi.

An estimated 47,000 lives have been lost in the conflict, according to official figures, though violence has declined in recent years after the start of a peace process between India and Pakistan in 2004.

The countries have fought two wars over the divided territory and each claims it in full.

"It was a shock decision. It made me and my girlfriend really angry," Zahoor Dar, a computer engineer, said of the new rule.

"Only a few of our friends know we are in a relationship. No one else does," added Dar, who is trying to find new ways to stay in touch with his girlfriend since their mobile link ended on Sunday.

In recent years, some couples had begun openly dating in parks, restaurants and Internet cafes in Kashmir, though love marriages are still rare in the scenic region where arranged marriages are the norm.

For some, the ban is a welcome move to stamp out modern influences.

"This ban, I am sure, will help to curb immoral activities," said 65-year Abdul Ahad, a retired government official who is angered by the sight of "young girls and women with mobile phones".

"This is not our culture," he said, adding the phones had only "increased waywardness".

Mobile services were launched in Kashmir only in 2003 after security agencies gave the go-ahead.

Three-month pre-paid connections still valid after the deadline will continue to function but subscribers will not be allowed to buy new credit.

All pre-paids will be switched off on January 31 next year.

The ban has also hit phone sellers.

There are some 20,000 people in the business of selling pre-paid phone cards across Kashmir, according to the Public Call Offices Association (PCOA), which represents the shops where most pre-paid phones are sold.

"We are saddened by this ban. Many of us have started looking for new business," says Bashir Dar, the head of the association.

Local political leaders are also upset.

"The ban is not justifiable. For a few undesirable elements you are making 38 lakh (3.8 million) people suffer," said Saifudin Soz, local leader of India's ruling Congress party.

He says the state government will take up the matter with New Delhi soon.