Indian Army Chief Bipin Rawat on Wednesday said that it is necessary to put some curbs on access to the internet in Jammu and Kashmir, as militants often use social media for their activities, ANI reported.

“In a democratic country, people will not like it [a ban on social media],” Rawat said. “But we have to take a call on whether we want a safe and secure environment, where we are willing to accept curbs on the internet temporarily so that terrorism can be dealt with.”

The chief of army staff said militants were using high technology systems which “transcend international borders.” “We need to disrupt terrorists and their sponsors,” he added. “We need to identify the nations which sponsor terror.”

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“Nuclear and chemical weapons falling into the hands of terrorists can be a disaster for humanity,” he said.

On Sunday, Rawat had said that he favoured “ramping up” the military offensive to increase pressure on Pakistan to stop cross-border terrorism. The Army chief said political initiatives for peace must go hand-in-hand with military operations in Jammu and Kashmir.

On the Doklam standoff of 2017, the army chief said few Chinese soldiers are still in the area but not as many as earlier, ANI reported. “While their troops have gone back, it is anybody’s guess if they would come back,” Rawat said, adding, “But we are also there. If they come, we will face them.”

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The army chief’s stand on the issue comes a day after China criticised him for making “unconstructive” comments last week. Rawat had called Doklam a disputed territory and China objected to it, saying the statement went against the consensus Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping had reached at the BRICS summit in September 2017.

On Wednesday, Rawat said the “bonhomie” between the two countries had returned and that both sides were working to end the tension.