NE exodus: Ind to share evidence with Pak on morphed pics

New Delhi, Aug 20: India said it will share with Pakistan evidence on involvement of elements there to whip up communal sentiments even as a technical probe concluded that many doctored images were uploaded on social media networking sites in that country.

The Indian government, meanwhile, stepped up its drive against "erring" portals and ordered blocking of more than 250 websites in which morphed images and videos were uploaded that led to a scare and exodus of people of the northeast from Karnataka and some other states.

Pakistan on its part rejected as "baseless and unfounded" India's assertion on the involvement of elements there in posting morphed images on the internet in a bid to fan communal tensions and asked New Delhi to provide evidence in this regard.

Home Secretary RK Singh said that during Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde's conversation with his Pakistani counterpart Rehman Malik yesterday, Shinde conveyed that New Delhi will share with Islamabad all evidence related to involvement of certain groups and individuals who uploaded morphed images and videos.

"We will share with them," he told reporters in Delhi.

Home ministry officials said more than 130 websites have been blocked till now while the rest will be blocked shortly.

"We are planning to block some more sites," an official said.

Singh said a technical investigation has come to the conclusion that many provocative images were uploaded in these websites in Pakistan.

Malik had said yesterday that New Delhi has not yet shared any evidence which suggested involvement of Pakistani elements in the cyber attack and sought this information.

Asked about these elements having any link with Pakistani spy agency ISI, Singh said it was difficult to say at this stage who were behind it but the probe was on.

Separately, a Foreign Office spokesman dismissed India's assertion as "baseless and unfounded."

"We totally reject these allegations and insinuations. They are totally baseless and unfounded. Such unsubstantiated statements are not very helpful in creating a conducive environment necessary for improving the relationship between our two countries," he was quoted as saying by The News.

PTI