Abstract
With the evolution of technology, the threat of terrorism has also grown as the internet has become a powerful medium for exploitation by terrorists. Internet’s possible use by terrorists and hostile states has, therefore, attracted the attention of policymakers to critical issues associated with cyber-security, protection of individual and national data and threat of cyber weapons. Pakistan is one of those countries which have been victim of terrorism for almost two decades. Terrorist groups have primarily focused on showing gory pictures to spread their message of terror, apart from using traditional media to get coverage. However, there is dearth of information in public domain about the potential of terrorist groups to cause harm by using cyberspace and the level of control exercised by Pakistani authorities to restrain the activities of online terrorist groups.
This paper focuses on an analysis of how terrorist organizations in Pakistan are using internet to accomplish their goals - which includes but is not limited to propaganda, financing, mobilization, planning, execution, crowd-sourcing of ideas, and radicalization of vulnerable young people - and how Pakistan is handling this emerging threat of online terrorism.