Pakistan to highlight rich Kashmir heritage through modern media: Afridi

ISLAMABAD: Chairman Parliamentary Committee on Kashmir Shehryar Afridi Khan Afridi Wednesday said the Pakistan government was employing modern media tools to project the rich heritage of Kashmir.

The present government’s core priority in communications domain was given to fine arts and culture and would employ vibrant media as soft image to counter anti-Islam and Kashmir propaganda.

Addressing a seminar on Role of Media in Pakistan-Turkey Relations and the launching ceremony of Turkey Urdu website here, he said the initiative of “Turkey Urdu” itself was speaking volumes for Pakistan-Turkey cordial historic ties.”

Afridi said:”India shall get ready for a shock as Pakistan is also going to use media through performing arts for giving her a ridiculous response on merciless brutalities and killings of innocent Kashmiris in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK).”

He said that through art and culture, Kashmir Committee was trying to project the true image of Kashmir. "We are projecting Kashmiri culture through all modern tools including art, culture and performing arts. Humanity needs to be protected and promoted and Kashmir cause would be highlighted," he remarked.

"Media's role in the modern times has proved its utility. The way the western world has used the modern media tools to distort image of Muslims proves this fact. They have distorted history through misusing media tools. This is the reason that Prime Minister Imran Khan has been urging for using media to project true image of Pakistan and the Muslim Ummah," he said.

Shehryar said the global key players had distorted history and used soft image of culture and media in Muslim countries where Pakistan was lagging behind to promote its indigenous culture in the brotherly Muslim states that would help boost harmony and people to people contacts, he added.

He added that Pakistani and Turkish media should narrate the tales of half widows and prisoners of IIOJK to the world audiences.

He said that Pakistan and Turkey would fight the case of revival of Muslim Ummah and the future world would present Pak-Turk friendship as model for the world nations.

Speaking on the occasion, Turkish Ambassador Ihsan Musata Yardakul said there were plenty of media portals to project the positive image of Pakistan and they should be used to do so. He added that there was huge potential of economic collaboration between Pakistan and Turkey that should be explored by both sides.

Senator Talha Mahmood, Farooq Adil, Chairman Tehreek-e-Jawanan Pakistan and Kashmir Abdullah Hamid Gul, Lieutenant General (R) Khalid Naeem Lodhi, Executive Director Turkiye Urdu Muhammad Hassan and others also addressed the seminar.