ISIS: Not More than 10 Cases of Indians Wanting to Join the Outfit, Says Ajit Doval

There are not more than 10 cases of Indian youths wanting to join the ISIS, National Security Advisor Ajit Doval said here on Saturday.

Out of these, five or six were cases of youths who showed an inclination towards joining the ISIS, but their parents approached the police and they were prevented from doing so, Doval said at the Hindustan Times Leadership Summit here.

He added that "there is not a single religious leader who has supported the ISIS call".

"They have in fact issued a fatwa against it. That is the spirit Muslim leaders have," he added.

ISIS or the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria is a Sunni, extremist rebel group controlling territory in Iraq, Syria, Eastern Libya and Egypt. The group has been designated a terrorist organisation by the United Nations.

Doval said that cyberspace was the new frontier for the conflict. "We are totally seized of it and the government is working very hard on this," he added.

Doval said India is at "cross-roads" where people from abroad are wanting to engage with the country and "partner" with it.

"They want India to rise. Whether we will be able to make use of the opportunity or whether it will be a case of wasted opportunity has to be seen," he added.

Doval declined to answer when asked whether the prime ministers of India and Pakistan would meet on the sidelines of the forthcoming Saarc summit in Nepal.