Union Home Minister inaugurates International Counter-Terrorism Conference 19-March, 2015 .
Union Home Minister inaugurates International Counter-Terrorism Conference
The Union Home Minister, Shri Rajnath Singh has said that the appeal of ISIS to the young, educated people, in spite of its medieval ideology, is a cause for concern to the global community. The Union Home Minister was addressing the inaugural session of the International Counter-Terrorism Conference organised by India Foundation in association with Sardar Patel University of Police Security and Criminal Justice at Jaipur, Rajasthan, today.
Shri Rajnath Singh said that terror outfits like the ISIS do not believe in a pluralistic society and are extremely intolerant of a liberal and secular democratic order. They do not accept the fundamental fact that diversity of faiths and philosophies reflects the inherent beauty of human beings, he added.
The Union Home Minister said that these terrorists unleash the worst forms of violence to erase the diversity and destabilize the democratic order and are adept at using the latest technologies to propagate their beliefs and deeds. They extensively use modern technology to reach out to wider audience with susceptible minds, he added.
The Union Home Minister said that the influence of Islamic State on the Indian youth is negligible as just a handful of Indian youth have joined the ISIS and some have also returned after being persuaded by their families. The Union Home Minister further said that the failure of ISIS to attract Indian Muslims is due to the complete integration of Indian Muslims into the national mainstream. Indian Muslims are patriots and are not swayed by fundamentalist ideologies. Moreover, India, as a country is proud of all its diversity, he added.
Shri Rajnath Singh said that we also need to be concerned over the increasing possibility and opportunity to use available technology & cyberspace in a destructive manner. The menace of terrorism is greatly amplified in today’s digital world, he added. Shri Rajnath Singh said that today a ‘lone wolf’ or a ‘DIY (Do It Yourself) Terrorist’ can go online and learn how to carry out an attack without ever leaving home. We have recently constituted an expert committee to look into all possible avenues of cybercrime and its linkages with the terrorist world, he added.
The Union Home Minister has said that the source of most terrorist activity in India lies across our borders. It is unfortunate that even after paying such a heavy cost for itself, Pakistan and its associates find it difficult to understand that there are no ‘good terrorists and bad terrorists’, he added. The Union Home Minister said that Pakistan should seriously rethink its strategy of using terrorism as an ‘instrument of proxy war’, since this would be in her own national interest.
Shri Rajnath Singh said that India has been a victim of cross-border terrorism for the last several decades and terrorism knows no boundaries and doesn`t respect nations` sovereignties. They have become transnational in character and therefore International Cooperation is needed to build popular opinion and pressurise the countries that use terrorists as their strategic assets, he added. Shri Rajnath Singh further said that all countries should be aware of developments in this area, which is bound to affect them in some way, sooner than later.