Bipin Rawat: Need to identify nations sponsoring terrorism

General Bipin Rawat

Army Chief General Bipin Rawat on Wednesday said that it was important to have curbs on the internet and social media to counter terrorism. Speaking at the Raisina Dialogue, 2018, General Rawat said that to fight terrorism, the first action that needs to be taken is to identify nations which have a state's sponsored policy of supporting terrorism.

'We need to put some checks and curbs on the Internet and social media that terrorist organizations always resort to. In a democratic country people won't like it but have to take a call on whether we want a safe and secure environment or are willing to accept curbs temporarily so terrorism can be dealt with,' he said.

General Rawat said, 'Terror is not new to the International community but the contour of terrorism is now witnessing a change. The first thing is to identify and define the terrorist. Who exactly is a terrorist? The fact remains that anybody who uses violence as a means to cause disruption to the civilian life and property, within his own nation or outside the boundaries of their own nation, should ideally be called a terrorist.'

He added that any nation which supports terrorism to achieve its means to an end needs to be tackled with first. 'Unless we do that and the global community does not combine together, terrorism is here to stay. The terrorists are using systems which are high technology enabled. They are transcending international borders and the violence being generated by a terrorist is indeed becoming a concern for the entire international community,' General Rawat asserted. He further said the threat of nuclear and chemical weapons falling into the hands of terrorists can be a disaster for humanity.

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