A woman in Srinagar talks on a cellphone on Friday. (AFP)

Srinagar, April 16: Jammu and Kashmir’s request was probably spelt out better than the usual text message, but the Centre still got it wrong.

Delhi today imposed an SMS ban in the state citing security concerns, only to withdraw it within hours after a furious reaction from chief minister Omar Abdullah.

Omar’s government had asked for a review of the bulk SMS facility in Jammu and Kashmir, saying some “illegal news agencies” misused it to spread “rumours and gossip in the name of news”.

But the Union telecom department banned all post-paid mobile subscribers in the state from sending or receiving any text message, and restricted prepaid users to 10 text messages per day.

“Somewhere the lines got mixed up. The request has not been properly understood (by the Centre),” Omar said. He added that such decisions were best avoided at a time the state was limping back to normality.

Today’s SMS curbs came three months after the Centre restored prepaid mobile services, banned on security grounds last November. That ban, affecting 38 lakh subscribers, had triggered an uproar.

The Centre’s order today said that even text messages from outside Jammu and Kashmir should not be delivered to subscribers in the state.

Omar then expressed his dismay in public and said his government had not been taken into confidence. He took the matter up with the Union telecom minister, the Union home ministry “and other central authorities concerned”, a government spokesperson said.