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Experts Urge Proactive Media Strategies to Counter Disinformation and Strengthen Pakistan’s Resilience

By The South Asia Times

ISLAMABAD, — Experts at a roundtable hosted by the Centre for Aerospace & Security Studies (CASS) Islamabad stressed the need for proactive media strategies to counter disinformation and bolster Pakistan’s resilience in future conflicts.

The event, titled “Weaponising Information: Media Strategies in Modern Warfare,” brought together academics and intellectuals against the backdrop of the May 2025 India–Pakistan escalation, said in a statement,

Moderating the discussion, Air Marshal Zahid Mehmood (Retd), Senior Director at CASS, said media today is central to shaping public perception and battlefield outcomes, warning that Pakistan must move beyond reactive responses.

Keynote speaker Amer Zafar Durrani, Founding President of Reenergia, described information as a decisive weapon operating through content, distribution, and cognition. He called for establishing a Joint Information Operations Coordination Cell under the National Security Council, backed by AI-powered detection systems. Stressing the importance of verification, provenance tagging, and pre-bunking, he urged Pakistan to adopt policies that safeguard civil liberties while countering foreign influence campaigns. Digital literacy, regional cooperation, and tested protocols, he said, must form the foundation of Pakistan’s information security.

Journalist and anchor Rehman Azhar of Express News, the second keynote speaker, analyzed media coverage during the May 2025 conflict, noting that Indian outlets under the BJP government relied on sensationalism and exaggerated claims of victory. In contrast, Pakistan’s military briefings helped shape a credible narrative. Azhar warned of rapidly evolving threats such as bots and deepfakes, underscoring the need for media to play an active role in pre-bunking rather than reacting after crises erupt.

Concluding the event, CASS President Air Marshal Javaid Ahmed (Retd) said India had invested heavily in narrative-building but acknowledged Pakistan’s tactical success and professional communication as decisive. He emphasized institutionalizing media preparedness as a core component of Pakistan’s national security strategy.