Thaindian News

New Delhi, Aug 19 (IANS) Union Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde Sunday raised the issue of misuse of social media sites by Pakistan-based elements in whipping up communal sentiments with his Pakistani counterpart Rehman Malik and sought his cooperation in checking and neutralising such forces.

According to home ministry officials, Shinde told Malik, who called him up, that elements based in Pakistan used such sites to circulate false pictures and stories so as to whip up communal sentiments in India.

Thousands of students from northeast fled the southern Indian cities of Bangalore and Chennai after hate messages were spread through mobile phones and on Facebook in the past two days promising retaliation for the ethnic violence in the northeastern state of Assam last month.

This was the first direct contact between the two ministers after Shinde took office.

Malik spoke about the pending issues and re-iterated his commitment to bring the masterminds and perpetrators of the Mumbai terror attack to justice.

He assured full mutual cooperation in this matter, said the officials.

Malik also invited Shinde to visit Pakistan to sign the revised visa agreement which has been agreed to by both the countries.

The two ministers also agreed to continue with mutual cooperation and work towards rooting out terrorism, said the officials.

Shinde conveyed his wishes for Eid to Malik and the people of Pakistan, expressing hope that the occasion would herald an improvement in relations between the two neighbours.