ISI uses online platform for recruitment in Jammu and Kashmir, shows inflammatory videos for brainwashing – ..

ISI Terror Groups: Pakistan’s intelligence agency ISI and terrorist groups are trying to increase recruitment efforts in Jammu and Kashmir through digital platforms. ISI and terrorist groups are using digital platforms as direct communication becomes difficult due to security concerns.

According to an official, these groups are now mainly targeting vulnerable youth using social media platforms and messaging apps like Xx (earlier Twitter), Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp and Telegram. They are using fake profiles and Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) to avoid detection.

act of inciting hatred
Once identified, these individuals are inducted into private terror groups, where they are shown fake videos purportedly showing atrocities committed by security forces, officials said. ISI-linked handlers do this to spread hatred and create a conducive environment for recruitment.

Syed Qutb’s sermons are being given to young recruits
Officials said it is worrying that youth recruited into these groups are now being taught the literature of Egyptian extremist Sayyid Qutb. Many radical Islamic organizations including Al-Qaeda are influenced by his ideology. Qutb, who was hanged in 1966, advocated active jihad against both secular governments and Western influence.

Increase in such cases in South Kashmir
Officials said earlier the ISI and terrorist organizations relied on direct contacts to recruit individuals supporting terrorism, but as security agencies have stepped up efforts to dismantle such networks, their methods have evolved. .

Before being assigned to work, new recruits are given virtual training through various online mediums including YouTube. Officials said that such recruitment through social media has increased in South Kashmir.

Security agencies set up surveillance units.
To counter this, security agencies have set up social media monitoring units that monitor potential recruits and neutralize them in real time. Officials said the spread of the Internet has made social media an attractive tool for communication and information sharing, which in turn helps terrorist organizations expand their networks. He said that some people calling themselves extremist nationalists have been found to be associated with extremist groups including the banned Jamaat-e-Islami.

Terrorists are also using these platforms
Additionally, terrorists are also increasingly taking advantage of encrypted messaging platforms and apps like Telegram and Mastodon, which are already banned in some districts like Rajouri and Poonch, for clandestine communications. The United Nations has repeatedly emphasized the effectiveness of terrorist groups in leveraging propaganda for various nefarious purposes, including recruitment and inciting violence.