Anti-national narratives on media: Govt decides to launch aggressive response

ISLAMABAD: The top federal and provincial leadership on Friday called for collaborative efforts to combat the growing menace of terrorism and extremism by developing a strong national narrative, improving media strategies, and implementing educational programmes targeted at engaging the youth.

During a meeting chaired by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, which was also attended by federal, provincial, and military officials, as well as representatives from Gilgit-Baltistan and Azad Kashmir, it was agreed to address disinformation to promote national unity and enhance resilience against security threats.

The leaders pledged to identify and expose the perpetrators behind the Jaffar Express hijacking and to ensure that they are brought to book and held accountable before the international community.

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They also vowed to counter anti-national campaigns on various media platforms, both traditional and digital.

Another key decision made during the meeting was to strengthen the national narrative as part of the National Action Plan (NAP), with the National Narrative Committee tasked with developing a more robust narrative to combat terrorism and extremism effectively.

Efforts will be made to prevent the dissemination of any material that undermines national security and unity, with a focus on combating misinformation and propaganda that may harm the national interest.

To engage the youth, the government decided to incorporate national themes into films and television dramas to promote the national narrative and counter extremist ideologies.

All provinces agreed to collaborate on this initiative to positively influence the younger generation.

Besides, the meeting highlighted the importance of using digital media platforms to disseminate the national message, address the negative impacts of terrorism, and combat fake news, particularly on social media.

Efforts will also be made to combat deepfake videos and other forms of fabricated content by promoting the use of credible information in response.

Additionally, the meeting agreed to integrate awareness of terrorism-related issues into the national curriculum to ensure that future generations are educated about the dangers of extremism.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2025