Technology Breeds Terrorism

Mushrooming information technology has brought people of the world close to eachother through easy communication resulting in the formation of a global village. Competition among the mobile network companies has resulted in lowering the call rates that has made the mobile an easy commodity available at lower price. Now even rank and file can afford it. Therefore, in Pakistan it has become a common practice to posses several number of mobile SIMs at the same time. Terrorists use fabricated mobile phones connections. If we deeply observe current turmoil it is directly related unauthorized phone connections. In the advanced countries to get a mobile phone connection is an uphill task due to strict scrutiny and upholding of data but in countries like Pakistan mobile phone network companies are enjoying carte blanche to provide connections without proper preservation of records. NIC photocopy is the least requirement but mushrooming mobile network companies turn a blind eye towards the provision of this small piece of paper for getting a connection. Their sole task is restricted to make mega bucks through selling maximum number of connections. This unchecked and immoral marketing provide opportunities to the miscreants and criminals to purchase several mobile SIMs. They misuse phone connections for unlawful activities and easily escape because tracing the user is a hard nut to crack. Therefore, terrorist activities have increased manifolds due to burgeoning of mobile network companies.

The government should strictly monitor the provision of licenses to the mobile network companies because due to their malpractices terrorist elements are using their network services for nefarious activities. The government should cancel the licenses of those companies subscribing connections without appropriate maintenance of record. The fat cats churning out maximum number of bank notes are least concerned about the volatile law and order situation prevailing in the country that has generated an ambiance of fear and uncertainty. If some grains of humanity are instilled in them and they are asked to fully verify the person before selling connection as in the western countries the heaven would not fall .In this way we would be able to control daily worsening law and order situation.

Another way of nourishing terrorism is the use of fake email accounts. There are several internet companies that have made the communication among the people very cost effective and easy. This is a very simple way of communication by putting oneself out of sight through the use of fabricated identities. This is a potent tool to spread fear in the people of a community. Another way of spreading terrorism among the people is sending audio-video films from unknown places. It is ironic that media telecast such movies without certifying its source and considering its repercussions. For example neoconservative lobby in America prepared a fabricated movie of Osama Bin Laden a few days before the Presidential elections of America 2004. The movie was telecast with clandestine intention to generating fear among the voters and mould public opinion in favor of George W Bush that helped him to become President of the US for second term.

Technology is not a bad thing but its abuse makes it so. Therefore, scientific knowledge should be used for human welfare instead of preparing deadly weapons to annihilate whole humanity. This dreadful situation has made the global peace tremendously precarious. Martin Luther King, Jr. (1929-1968), U.S. civil rights leader said in “Strength To Love” (1963)“We have genuflected before the god of science only to find that it has given us the atomic bomb, producing fears and anxieties that science can never mitigate.”3 If the powerful countries possessing deadly weapons and latest technology would continue to subjugate by intimidating and launching unjust wars the numbers of extremists and suicide bombers would continue to soar. Technology would advance and flourish in the future that would mount the chances of its abuse for detrimental activities. Therefore, in order to ensure its use for the benefit of humanity it is essential that humanity and technology should contemporarily boom otherwise we are bound to harvest bitter fruits in the form of extremism and terrorism. Therefore, it is the duty of the blue nose think tanks to come forward to persuade and compel powerful countries to give up abuse of military muscle and use diplomacy for establishment of peace in the world. Samuel Pisar (1929-), Polish-born U.S. writer and lawyer rightly said in ‘Of Blood and Hope’ (1980). “Building up arms is not a substitute for diplomacy.” 4