Apps blocked
DAYS after the Poonch terror attack that claimed the lives of five soldiers, the Central Government has blocked 14 mobile messenger applications that were being used by terror groups. According to reports, overground workers of terrorist organisations based in Jammu and Kashmir were using these apps to circulate anti-India messages and communicate with their handlers in Pakistan. Action has been taken under Section 69A of the Information Technology Act, which empowers the government to issue content-blocking orders to online intermediaries ‘in the interest of sovereignty and integrity of India, defence of India, security of the State, friendly relations with foreign States or public order.’
Even as the number of terror incidents in J&K has been on the decline in recent years, there is no scope for lowering one’s guard, as demonstrated chillingly by the Poonch ambush. An investigation into this incident has revealed that some local residents provided arms, ammunition, grenades and cash — dropped by a Pakistani drone — to the terrorists, besides giving them food and shelter. Combating the blatant use of technology by cross-border terror groups is vital for the success of efforts aimed at restoring peace and normalcy in J&K. Various channels of communication between the terrorists and their sympathisers among the local population need to be disrupted.
India, which currently holds the presidency of both G20 and the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), has been vociferously calling out the aiders and abettors of terrorism. During a conclave of the SCO countries’ defence ministers in New Delhi last week, Rajnath Singh exhorted member nations to fix the accountability of supporters of terrorism and collectively work towards eliminating it in all its forms. The stern message was primarily aimed at Pakistan, which joined the deliberations virtually, and its ally China, which was represented by Defence Minister Gen Li Shangfu. Citing national security, the Indian government has banned hundreds of Chinese apps in the years following the Galwan clash of 2020. Sustained surveillance and pre-emptive action can give India an edge over its hostile neighbours in the technological domain, which is an integral part of 21st-century warfare.
