Cyber Warfare: How the Internet is Changing the Face of Terrorism in Pakistan

―Islam –the Future of America- a picture on a Facebook page read. Despite the controversial statement made by the picture, a number of people had ‘liked’ the picture, while a few commented ―insha Allah (If God wills) on the post. Scrolling down the same page, a romanticised, yet eyebrow-raising picture appeared. This one read, “I love Osama bin Laden."

The Facebook page that shared these images was entitled ―Ahmadiyya Muslim Community – Qadyani Kafir (infidels), a title which itself serves as an epitome of hate and prejudice against a minority Muslim sect that is declared non-Muslim by the constitution of Pakistan –a country which is often called the hub of terrorism because of the presence of a number of terror groups in the country, including the Taliban.

A closer look at the page revealed some more shocking facts. People who liked this page also followed a number of other similar pages, all of which contained controversial content, mostly projecting hate speech against non-Muslims and minority Muslim sects. One of the pages was named ―Xpose Shiaa -Shi’a Kafir (Shi’ite Muslims are infidels); while another was titled ―Qadyani wajib-ul-Qatl (Ahmadis must be killed). Facebook’s suggestion feature also showed that all these pages were interlinked to the ―official pages of banned militant outfits in Pakistan.

The most popular one being Ahle Sunnat wal Jamat (ASWJ), an Islamic religious organisation that had been involved in terrorism-related activities of the defunct terror group, Sipah-e-Sahaba. The group had been apparently banned in 2012 by the government of Pakistan. Despite the ban, that critics believe to be a cosmetic measure, ASWJ, along with a number of other banned militant outfits like Jamat-ud-Dawa (JuD), openly operates in Pakistan. Apart from holding rallies across the country, the outfits also make extensive use of the digital media to increase

their influence, spread hate speech and propaganda, receive funding and recruit new people – both terrorists and their sympathizers. Although the web presence of terror outfits and their supporters contribute to the growing terrorism in Pakistan, the authorities turn a blind eye to this facet and only focus on military action against the terrorists, that too in certain areas of the country.

The problem of growing terrorism in Pakistan

Over the past fifteen years, terrorism has become a major and highly destructive phenomenon in Pakistan. The problem became more and more severe with the growing presence of Taliban and other al-Qaeda affiliated terror groups in the country. According to statistics released by The South Asia Terrorism Portal, around 21,674 civilians and 6,725 security forces personnel have lost their lives to terrorism in Pakistan since the start of 2003 as of April, 2017. The problem was highlighted globally when Osama bin Laden, the leader of Al-Qaeda, was found and killed in Pakistan on May 2, 2011.

What‘s more, terrorism in Pakistan continues to grow along with extremist ideology spreading even across the educated masses. Recently, an MBBS student from Liaquat University of Medical and Health Sciences was arrested during a raid on a militant hideout in Lahore which divulged details about ISIS‘s plan to target a church on Easter Sunday. The Vice Chancellor of university suspected that the suspect was contacted [by ISIS] through the social media. Despite the fact that the problem of terrorism is deep-rooted in the society, the government of Pakistan ignores many facets through which terrorism spreads in the country, including the digital media.

How are terrorists ‘embracing’ the new media?

Research conducted by the United States Institute of Peace reveals that there are eight different ways in which contemporary terrorists use the Internet, ranging from psychological warfare and propaganda to highly instrumental uses such as fundraising, recruitment, data mining, and coordination of actions. It has been revealed that terrorists over the past several years have become extremely dependent on the Internet as an operational tool. Access to and use of computers and the Internet has allowed Islamic terrorists to share information, to recruit new followers, to raise money, to keep in touch, and to plan operations.

Like other countries facing the problem of terrorism, banned terror outfits in Pakistan are also increasingly focusing to radicalise the educated, 'tech-savvy‘ youth through the internet. The descriptions of these social media pages [of terror outfits] are never violent. They merely give the description about the peaceful aspects of Islam and are often categorised under the label of education, informed Bilal Farooqi, a journalist covering terrorism in Pakistan. However, among a few posts that promote a peaceful message, you can find a plethora of hate speech and violence-inciting material that people often share on their Facebook walls.

According to a study conducted by the Dartmouth College Institute for Security, Technology and Society, the Internet works on the principle of demand and supply for radicalisation by acting as a catalyst and force multiplier. On the demand side, susceptible individuals are looking for information and materials on Islam—perhaps because of a crisis of identity or a sense of injustice. That information gathering process, which is a critical first step along the path to radicalization, is facilitated by the Internet, which provides young Muslims with opportunities and the means by which young Muslims are exposed to radical revisionist ideas. Trusted peer relationships and kinship are important to the radicalization and recruitment process, because they provide a secure physical environment in which to share and test ideas. The Internet too provides support in that it is a space in which individuals can easily and safely find like-minded others in the virtual world.

However, the same research points out that although the Internet provides opportunities for exposure, it may not be the main factor driving recruitment and radicalization. On the supply side the Internet is the principal means by which radical preachers disseminate the information and propaganda that shapes the beliefs of young Muslims who then go on to seek out and join virtual communities of like-minded others—described by Dr. Jerrold Post of the Elliott School of International Affairs as ―virtual communities of hatred.

We cannot outrightly say that the web presence of terrorists is a direct cause of terrorism, but they are certainly important and the state must take some measures to tackle terrorist propaganda and spread of jihadist literature,‖ Farooqi said.

The Pakistani establishment is also aware how terrorists are using the social media and digital platforms very effectively. Pakistan‘s former Chief of Army Staff, Gen. Raheel Sharif recently said while addressing the World Economic Forum that terrorists are making the most out of the Internet and they have the ability to mutate, morph and they can do it very quickly.

Recruitment is one thing which is done on the social media and I think the financier, abettors, facilitator and the sympathisers all of them are involved in this‖ he said.

Weak cyber terrorism laws

A visit to the Facebook page run by an Islamic cleric, Allama Khadim Hussain Rizvi, shows some videos provoking religious sentiments and violence. ―Death to anyone who commits blasphemy! There is no need for evidence or a trial; if anyone utters a word of disrespect against the Prophet of Islam, behead them immediately,‖ the cleric instructs his audience in one of his videos.

Most of the videos he posted on his page contain the same message ―kill anyone who commits blasphemy.‖ The same page glorifies Mumtaz Qadri, the man who killed the governor of Punjab when he spoke in favour of a Christian girl alleged for committing blasphemy. The killer later received capital punishment from the government of Pakistan, commenting on which the cleric called for a war against the infidel government and the army‖ in one of his videos.

Like this page, there are hundreds of similar pages that incite violence, post propaganda and openly show support for jihadist ideologies. However, because of the weak cyber terrorism laws in the country, the perpetrators continue propagating their cause unabated.

Banned religious outfits have been running pages online for years,‖ informed Sana Saleem, co-founder of Bolo Bhi –a digital and advocacy organisation. ―That's not the only space where they spread their messages, the state has yet to track down and investigate the spread of hate speech and incitement to violence offline.

The government of Pakistan has lately been criticised for developing a digital policy that traces and crackdowns any social media page or web-based page that contains sacrilegious or blasphemous content, but it does not take any action against pages spreading jihadist propaganda.

Known militant organisations regularly hold rallies in the capital just miles away from the head offices of intelligence agencies. Yet, it seems that our state is much more interested in curbing dissent than look at hate speech and violence online, Saleem said.

Critics of the policy are of the view that the government has the capacity to crackdown the pages of banned terror outfits or any pages run by terrorist sympathizers, but the government has other priorities.

The government has launched a campaign to track down social media pages which contain blasphemous content and it‘s a very organised campaign, we have to give the government credit for that,‖ said Mohammad Jibran Nasir, a Pakistani civil liberty activist, lawyer and blogger, known for criticising state policies regarding banned organisations in Pakistan.

But as for banned militant outfits‘ pages, they openly operate because they also openly operate physically. Their existence is legitimised and they are patronised by the state.

What makes matter worse is the non-implementation of existing laws surrounding cyber terrorism. Although the National Action Plan (NAP) –a document that has become a reference point for everything counterterrorism in Pakistan, no banned militant outfit is allowed to publish literature, posters, banners, digital or other material, but the government‘s Electronic Crimes Bill's (PECB) 2016 does not even adequately differentiate cybercrime from cyber terrorism and cyber warfare and provides no mechanisms for implementation of the law.

The government needs an organised, consistent approach to tackle the issue of cyber terrorism. The NAP only serves as a guideline, but it has no implementation so far. There are no meetings conducted by the National Counterterrorism Authority Pakistan (NACTA) to discuss the progress of the plan, neither it has any strategies developed for implementation,‖ said Jibran Nasir. So the NAP is just a talking point. It is politically viable, but not legally valid.

Is military action the only answer to terrorism?

Due to the growing incidents of terrorism in the country, Pakistan has simultaneously received allegations of harbouring and aiding terrorists and commendation for its anti-terror efforts.

In 2014, Pakistan launched Operation Zarb-e-Azb, a large-scale anti-terror military offensive against various militant groups. The operation, deemed successful by the Pakistan army and the government, helped the country reducing the number of terror attacks; however, a fresh wave of terror attacks in the beginning of year 2017 led the government to launch yet another military operation called Operation Radd-ul-Fasaad.

The Prime Minister of Pakistan, Nawaz Sharif, has recently given a statement where he urges the army to step up its efforts in using military force against the terrorists. ―It is an obligation on us towards future generations and others who are facing oppression,‖ he told the army.

However, experts say that Pakistan‘s central focus on military action cannot help eradicate terrorism from the country, and an all-inclusive approach is necessary.

According to Moeed Yusuf, the director of South Asia Programmes at the U.S. Institute of Peace, in his book, Pakistan’s Counterterrorism Challenge, the country can address the problem of terrorism by concentrating not only on military aspects but on the often-ignored political, legal, law enforcement, financial, and technological facets of the challenge.

Military force alone will not solve Pakistan's Islamist challenge,‖ the book said. Similarly, According to Dr. Naeem Ahmed, professor of International Relations at the University of Karachi, the Pakistani counterterrorism offensive mainly focuses on ad hoc, reactive, moment to-moment, incident-to-incident based approaches through the excessive use of military force in the tribal areas.

The strategy has remained less efficient in targeting religious extremism, which is deeply ingrained in Pakistani society. Consequently the terrorist network has not only expanded, particularly to urban centers, but also, over a period of time, become more lethal and ruthless, he said.

Experts at the International Crisis Group have also pointed out to the weaknesses of the National Action Plan and termed it ―a hastily-conceived wish-list devised for public consumption during a moment of crisis than a coherent strategy. The report also points out that while the NAP addresses the coercive side of a counter-terrorism policy and how to make it more efficient, without structural and governance reform, the root causes of terrorism and extremism will remain unaddressed, and violent jihadis will continue to exploit the absence of rule of law.

The aforementioned analyses show that Pakistan‘s counterterrorism strategy needs to take into consideration all aspects through which terrorism spreads and isolated military action is not the answer.

As they say, you can kill the terrorist, but you cannot kill the ideology. So, the state has to reconsider its counterterror offensive and devise an all-encompassing strategy that could tackle all aspects through which terrorism spreads, including the Internet,‖ Farooqi commented.

Is it possible to completely eradicate the web presence of terrorists?

There is no doubt that the Internet serves as a very powerful tool for terrorists, however, the question remains: Is it possible to completely eradicate the web presence of terrorists?

A Facebook page called Mashal III, with 23,155 subscribers, openly projects hate speech against Shi‘ite minority and the West and incite people to violence. The page has been reported to Facebook by people and has been taken down thrice, but it keeps coming up with a new name.

The state can shut down one page or website, and the terrorists can always come up with another one, however, it does not mean that these pages should be allowed to run openly. When the government has the capacity to shut down all pages with blasphemous content, it can also take action against pages project terrorist ideology and hate speech, said Bilal Farooqi.

If the government includes this [banning terrorist pages] in its counter-terror strategy, it will definitely have benefits. We cannot completely eradicate their presence, but we can always decrease their influence, and that is very important,‖ he said.

But whether or not Pakistan revises its counterterrorism approach and also considers curbing the web presence of terrorists, only time will tell.