'Pakistan using social media platforms to attack Indian economy,' says US terror expert

Pakistan was using social media platforms to attack the Indian economy, said American terror expert Peter Chalk on Wednesday, while speaking at the second KPS Gill Memorial Lecture in Mohali. Addressing the internal security concerns of India, he said that the ISI might leverage social media sites that are encrypted to use them as telecommunication platforms for jihadist recruitment drives in Kashmir. The talk which had been organised by Punjab Police at the Indian School of Business, was also attended by Punjab CM Captain Amarinder Singh as well as the DGP Dinkar Gupta.

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He alleged that the US was playing a double role with Pakistan because of its strategic interest in Afghanistan. This perhaps was the reason why it wasn't taking a tougher stand against Islamabad, he said. Peter Chalk recommended that India needs to start working with "friendly and partner countries" in order to pressurise Pakistan.

Pak's role in Referendum 2020

Peter Chalk also spoke about Khalistan's Referendum 2020, saying that Pakistan had been making efforts at radicalising young Sikhs by tapping into social media which is widely used by young people these days. He also said that they had been doing so using pro-Khalistani militants based in Pakistan and diaspora groups operating out of the US, Britain, and Canada to create instability in Punjab. Speaking at the event, Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh said that in the globalised world, terror could easily transcend international geographical boundaries, with the use of the internet and social media which acts as a tool to promote terror for luring youth, spreading hatred and propaganda.

Read: Desperate Pakistan indicts 26/11 mastermind Hafiz Saeed on terror funding charges

Punjab CM on drug menace by Pakistan

Captain Amarinder Singh also spoke about the drug menace in the state that is caused by Pakistan pointing to the sensitive location of Punjab as a border state with a hostile neighbor. Amarinder Singh stressed on the need for modern-day policing stressing on the importance of it being technologically updated which would help nab nefarious groups. Last week, the Punjab CM had spoken about how his government had nabbed 125 such groups from Pakistan. 

Read: US asks Pakistan to prosecute terrorists Hafiz Saeed and Masood Azhar

Read: Hafiz Saeed pulling strings in Pakistan from behind bars: Pak media

(With Agency inputs)