Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, July 18: In a major breakthrough that could help the security agencies check cyber terrorism, the National Investigating Agency (NIA) has succeeded in identifying at least 1000 telephone numbers of Pakistan and Gulf countries, which were being used by terrorists and Over Ground Workers (OGWs) to lure Kashmiri youth into militancy and stone pelting.
Official sources told the Excelsior that after nearly six month long investigations, the NIA has cracked the case of cyber terrorism in the Kashmir valley, being operated mostly from Pakistan and partly from Gulf nations and now the Union Ministry of Home Affairs was likely to submit a detailed dossier to the External Affairs Ministry for taking up the issue with Pakistan through appropriate diplomatic channels to initiate action against the militants and their OGWs, who stood identified.
“A detailed dossier is being prepared as the NIA has succeeded in identifying 1000 individuals with past history of being terrorists or their supporters and the OGWs, who had been running the network of cyber terrorism in the Kashmir valley through 79 WhatsApp Groups in which a total of 6386 persons were involved,’’ sources said, adding that 5386 persons belonged to the Valley and rest 1000 to Pakistan and Gulf nations.
Asserting that the NIA has gathered sufficient evidence against those involved in fanning “jihad through mobile telephones using internet’’, sources said the NIA would give a detailed report to the Union Ministry of Home Affairs. The MHA could take up the issue with the MEA for cornering Pakistan by furnishing them details of the persons, who were running the cyber jihad in the Valley from Pakistani soil.
The persons, mostly youth, who were members of this nexus in the Kashmir valley have also been identified and their antecedents were being verified before recommending or taking action against them. The NIA could also proceed against them as it has registered a case in this regard or it could also ask Jammu and Kashmir Police to take action against those youths, who were actively involved in spreading cyber jihad and kept vigil on others.
“Majority of Admins of 79 WhatsApp Groups have been traced in Pakistan,’’ sources said, adding that all of them have been identified.
Through the well-knit syndicate, the youth in the Kashmir valley using the WhatsApp Groups were being mobilized to join militancy or indulge in stone pelting on security forces. Jihad and anti-national literature was being circulated through these Groups, sources pointed out.
The investigating agencies have now set into motion the efforts to block such Groups, which were directly engaged in anti-national activities in Kashmir. “Efforts were on in this direction and some success has already been achieved though it was endeavor of the investigating agencies to completely choke the sources of cyber terrorism emanating from Pakistan and some Gulf countries.
It has been observed by the investigators that influenced by online propaganda, young boys gradually morph into big crowds, which are mobilized to pelt stones, set schools on fire and act as human shield for terrorists to escape from encounter sites. Since 2014, there has been a steady rise in the number of local boys joining terrorism.
In an attempt to control this vicious cycle of radicalization and recruitment fueling further violence in the Valley, nearly 10,000 boys involved in stone pelting incidents between 2008 and 2017 have been given amnesty by the Union Ministry of Home Affairs and Jammu and Kashmir Government but, according to sources, the Government now proposed to act tough against the militants and stone pelters.
Sources expressed confidence that once that online campaign of Pakistani militants and their Over Ground Workers is contained, it will have lot of impact on the Kashmiri youths and incidents of the youth joining militancy or indulging in stone pelting could come down drastically.
Majority of network of “online hate campaign’’ was confined to South Kashmir, according to sources, though it was spread to other parts of the Kashmir valley also. Sources, however, admitted that some of the youths in the Kashmir valley might not be known in the WhatsApp Groups that they were being dictated from Pakistan or Gulf nations.
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