Army Chief Gen Dalbir Singh Suhag today slammed Pakistan for giving "candid support" to terror groups like JeM and LeT as he called on the international community to join hands in combating the menace.
Days after suspected LeT operatives struck in Pampore in Jammu and Kashmir, Suhag hit out at Pakistan, saying, "Terrorist groups like LeT and JeM get candid support from across our western borders."
The attack at Pampore left three army personnel dead, including two Captains of the Special Forces. Two CRPF personnel, too, were killed by three heavily armed "foreign" terrorists who were shot dead after a fierce 48-hour-long gun battle.
At a seminar organised by army think tank CLAWS, Suhag also said that the spreading influence of Islamic State, in particular through social and other forms of media, has thrown up challenges of global and regional security.
"What is worrying is that these groups can no longer be dismissed as regional manifestations of violence," he said.
Noting that such jihadist outfits take advantage of the international connected systems of finance, commerce and transit to stay flexible and reach any part of the globe, Suhag said it was "necessary for international community to fight this menace as one by sharing of intel and adoption of training techniques from each other".
He added that the 9/11, 26/11 and recent Paris attacks have changed the perception among world leaders regarding the threat from terrorism.
The Army Chief said, "We need to address not only the methods but also the factors that contribute to the spread of terrorism.
"The main threat comes from fundamental ideology and twisted interpretations which are promoting radical thinking."
BJP leader and spokesperson M J Akbar, who also spoke at the event, termed parts of Pakistan as a "sanctuary for jihadis".
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The Army chief said India has been dealing with various dynamic sub-conventional threats since Independence and has been successful in containing this menace to a large extent.
Indian Army has a rich experience in countering sub-conventional threats of varied forms like proxy war, terrorism and insurgency.
He said terrorism-affected countries need to find indigenous solutions to address the menace.
Suhag also said these sub-conventional threats have created a force asymmetry and that traditional and conventional mechanisms cannot contain this menace.
Terrorist organisations like ISIS, Al Shabab and Boko Haram have found new space at the global front through social media and other forms of media, he said.
He said the international cooperation on terror remains uneven today and weakens constrictive global response.
It needs to change and should adopt common understanding, he said.
Suhag said as long as certain states continue to differentiate between good, bad and tolerable terrorists, the way ahead remains elusive.
There should be a resolve at international level to isolate states who harbour and train terrorists as a matter of state policy from those who fight terrorists with sincerity and genuine intent.
"We need to evolve methods to contain terrorists. Nature of ideology of modern terrorist organisations are significantly different from that of the past. Main threat is of fundamental ideology of terrorists where they perceive it as a divine, making them very dangerous," the Army chief said.
In Indian context, fight against terror in spite of support from neighbours is characterised by people-friendly approach and population remains the centre of gravity, he said.
"A well calibrated surgical counter terrorism operations with non-use of heavy calibre weapons have ensured minimum collateral damage. The declining trend of violence in the affected areas is a testimony to the efficacy of response of the Indian Army," he said.
