Social media must be controlled to stop radicalisation: Gen Rawat

Army Chief General Bipin Rawat said that some Kashmiri youths are getting radicalised due to misinformation and falsehood about religion being fed to them.

"Radicalisation through social media is becoming one of the reasons for raising funds for terrorist organisations. The biggest issue is that social media needs to ensure that radicalisation does not happen through false information and misinformation," said General Rawat at the Raisina Dialogue conference.

"That is why you find more and more educated youth being drawn into terrorism," he added.

General Rawat said that terrorism is 'a new mode of warfare' and a 'multi-headed monster' that is 'here to stay' as long as states continue to push and promote it as a state policy.

The Army Chief said that Pakistan should be worried about the presence of Taliban in its backyard and that there should not be any conditions in talks with Taliban as a part of Afghan peace process.

"Pakistan has always treated Afghanistan as its backyard and they have always been concerned about it. They would always want a situation in Afghanistan that is more favourable to them. Even if it means speaking to the devil, they will do it. When you have to talk to terrorists or any organisation of that kind (Taliban). You have to talk without preconditions. Yes, there should be talks with the Taliban so long as they are looking lasting peace in Afghanistan, it is in the interest of the region, Pakistan and as well as India," General Rawat asserted.

Notably, the Afghan authorities have been requesting the United States to reconsider its order of withdrawing around 7,000 troops from the region as it would hamper its operations against the Taliban and ISIS-like elements there.

Further, India has been contributing for Afghanistan nation-building effort and provided security and military training to a large number of its citizens in both India and Afghanistan.