Federal Minister for Information Fawad Chaudhry on Friday while citing India’s fabricated propaganda against Pakistan on different issues, has called for global efforts to curb odious and fake news.
Chaudhry while talking to the press attaché of foreign embassies in Islamabad said that excessive use of technology has led to problems with fake news and counterfeit news.
He said that there should be global media regulation and UN sanctions so that hateful and fabricated news could not be spread on social media against any other country.
Referring to former US President Barack Obama, the federal information minister said that Obama had said in 2003 that the biggest challenge for governments in modern times is to manage the flow of information.
Chaudhry Fawad Hussain said that Pakistan’s media is considered as one of the major media of the developing countries. There are more than 200 TV channels, more than 2000 websites and YouTube channels operating in Pakistan, more than 1500 daily newspapers and hundreds of weekly and monthly newspapers are published here, about 48 international news channels operating in Pakistan.
The Minister added that under the current regulation mechanism, there are more than half a dozen obsolete laws that do not meet the requirements of modern times. He said that at present seven regulatory bodies are running media outlets, these laws were drafted before the digital revolution.
“There are about 48 international news channels operating in Pakistan. We are trying to bring in new legislation. The PMDA’s idea was to bring together all the laws,” he said.
He said that India has made misleading and false propaganda against Pakistan on many issues, it is not only Pakistan’s problem, many other countries are also facing similar problems, global efforts to eradicate fake news. We must ensure that social media regulations and media safety are protected through global efforts.
He said that there should be global media regulation and UN sanctions so that hateful and fabricated news could not be spread on social media against any other country.
Fawad Chaudhry said that the Ministry of Information should liaise with the people belonging to the Information Department in the embassies. The Ministry of Information is one of the major ministries of Pakistan.
The Federal Minister also said that presenting Pakistan’s point of view to the outside world and keeping abreast of global media is one of the primary responsibilities of EP Wing.
While talking about the situation in Afghanistan the minister said, “We are keeping a close eye on the current situation in Afghanistan. Afghanistan is a big country with a population of 40 million. The Economist’s recent report on Afghanistan is disturbing,” he added.
Fawad Chaudhry urged the global community to come forward and help the people of Afghanistan.
“There are videos coming in which it is being said that innocent children are being sold for food, he said.
The Federal Minister of Information said that we want a comprehensive government in Afghanistan but on the other hand we are concerned about the human tragedy in Afghanistan.
“If the situation in Afghanistan worsens, the terrorist organizations will take advantage of it, al-Qaeda, ISIS, the banned TTP can establish their bases in Afghanistan. stability in Afghanistan is essential to avoid these situations,” he added.
