Terrorism growing like monster, Pak using it as State policy: Rawat

‘J&K youth getting radicalized on social media’

Sanjeev Pargal
JAMMU, Jan 9: Army chief Gen Bipin Rawat today voiced concern over radicalization of youth in Jammu and Kashmir due to misinformation and falsehood being spread about religion to them through social media and asserted that terrorism has been becoming a new form of warfare and it will keep growing till nations continue to use it as State policy.
He batted for some control over social media to contain spread of terror funding and radicalization as he identified social media as a platform to spread radicalization and generate financial resources for terrorism.
Gen Rawat was addressing the `Raisina Dialogue’, a conference on geo-politics in the Union capital this morning.

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Without naming Pakistan but in a clear reference towards India’s hostile neighbour, the Army chief said a “weaker nation” has been using terrorists as a proxy to put pressure on other nations to come to terms with them. He was clearly mentioning about Pakistan aiding and abetting terrorism in the form of proxy war in Jammu and Kashmir, where security forces have killed over 250 militants during the last year.
Cautioning against tolerating such a policy of the neighbour, Gen Rawat said: “If this is going to happen, then there will be States that will be funding the terrorists and allowing them to move around in the manner in which they want to move”.
“Terrorism is becoming a new form of warfare and it will keep growing like a `multi-headed monster’ till nations continue to use it as a State policy, Gen Rawat said.
Calling for some control over social media, he identified it as a platform to spread radicalism and generate financial resources for terrorism especially in Jammu and Kashmir.
There have been reports that militants and their Over Ground Workers (OGWs) were using social media to fan trouble in the Valley. Some of such handlers of social media were traced in Pakistan as well as Gulf nations and few months back, the Cyber Cells of the Union Ministry of Home Affairs as well as the State Government had succeeded in blocking number of groups, which were being used to radicalize the youth in Kashmir through social media.
“We see a different kind of radicalization in Jammu and Kashmir. My take is that terrorism is here to stay so long as there are nations which are going to continue to sponsor terrorism as a state policy. We are seeing it happening in Jammu and Kashmir,” he said.
In Jammu and Kashmir, he noted, youth are being radicalized using “misinformation” and falsehoods on religion. It was in this context that he called for some sort of check on social media to prevent the Kashmir youth from falling into the trap of terrorists on being lured into it.
“It is a low visibility, high-gain option. This is now becoming a form of warfare. We referred to guerilla warfare some years ago. This is now graduated to terrorism,” he said, adding that radicalization of the youth through social media was a matter of concern as the youth were falling into this trap as they were being radicalized using this platform.
“I think we have a lot to do with social media which must be controlled. For this if one particular nation starts controlling a particular media, it will be taken as media rights are being curbed. Therefore, I think the international community must get together in ensuring that the source of the social media is prevented from spreading false information and disinformation because a lot of funds are coming from people who are getting radicalized,” the Army chief said.
“Radicalization through social media was also becoming one of the causes for raising of funds by the terrorist organizations. They are being convinced about the acts of terrorists and the radicalized people are also helping the terror outfits in generating funds,” he added.
On Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), Gen Rawat said it has not been able to find its feet in India as in some other countries and attributed it to India’s rich family values and good neighbourhood watch system.
He also pointed out a nexus between drugs and guns and said unless movement of drugs was controlled; it will be difficult to contain the movement of funds and guns.
Gen Rawat said there should be talks with the Taliban so as to bring peace to Afghanistan but asserted the engagement must be without any preconditions.

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