The Union government has sought the Pakistani establishment’s co-operation in neutralising the threat posed by elements using the social media to circulate morphed pictures and videos that has led to an exodus of people from the Northeast from several states.
Security agencies have said that morphed pictures, videos and false stories were posted on social media networking sites from Pakistan. The images and stories led to fear and panic among people of Northeast as they began to leave Bangalore, Pune, Kerala and Hyderabad, fearing violence. The morphed pictures started to appear during the violent clashes between two communities in Assam in which more than 70 people were killed and thousands became homeless.
A statement of the Ministry of Home Affairs said: “Home minister Sushilkumar Shinde has expressed concern to his Pakistani counterpart over the issue of social media-networking sites being misused by elements based in Pakistan to circulate false pictures and stories so as to whip up communal sentiments in India and has sought Pakistan’s full cooperation in checking and neutralising such elements. Shinde expressed his views when Rehman Malik, Interior Minister of Pakistan, spoke to him over telephone.” This is the first direct contact between the two ministers.
During the conversation between the two ministers, Malik also invited Shinde to Pakistan to sign the revised visa agreement, which has now been agreed to by both sides. In the course of the conversation between the two ministers, Malik also reiterated Pakistan’s commitment to bring the masterminds and perpetrators of the Mumbai terror attack to justice.
The security agencies have already blocked over 70 websites that were being used to circulate false pictures and stories to scare the people of the Northeast and force them to return home.
Taking a strong note of the false messages being circulated through these websites, members of parliament debated the issue in the ongoing monsoon session and asked the Union and state governments to ensure security of the people of the Northeast and stop the exodus.
