PESHAWAR
GHAG Report
Prominent political figures and experts have characterized the propaganda apparatus and fake news as a major threat to Pakistan and its society, comparable to terrorism.
Inayatullah Khan (Former Provincial Minister, Jamaat-e-Islami)
Inayatullah Khan, a former provincial minister and Jamaat-e-Islami leader has stated that the politics of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Pakistan are polarized, and the rise in violent incidents and attitudes has threatened the foundations of society and the future of the new generation, which has to be stopped immediately.
Ehsanullah Khan (MPA, PPP)
Ehsanullah Khan, a member of the PPP provincial assembly, claims that the PTI and the current provincial government are not concerned with the province’s rights or peace and that the provincial assembly’s performance—aside from that of the chief minister and his administration—cannot be praised because the assembly has been taken hostage by the government and is being used to score political points.
Shagufta Malik (Former MPA, ANP)
“Sadly, the resources of a war-torn province have been used to attack the federal government, “ANP leader Shagufta Malik. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is ruled by a pro-Taliban party that helped terrorists after 2013, and because of its policies, not only has unrest increased but the province is also facing the worst kind of mismanagement and corruption. She also said that negative propaganda has been promoted from the top.
Professor Dr Jamil Ahmed Chitrali (Educationist)
According to educationist Professor Dr. Jamil Ahmed Chitrali, Pakistan’s security and society are both at risk and negative propaganda has unsettled the society, a demonstration of which we saw in the form of this “incident” of a college in Lahore, which did not happen at all and the worst kind of political point scoring was done on it. In response to a question, he said that the propaganda against Pakistan and its army in the jirga organized by PTM should be openly opposed. This propaganda was not only used against Pakistan at the global level, but it also created a lot of bitterness if any nationality or province had any grievances, then the voice could be raised at the relevant political and state forums within the Constitution. He said that the establishment of more provinces within Pakistan is not a bad and objectionable thing, but such an effort should be made administratively rather than on linguistic grounds. According to him, there is a dire need to curb the irresponsible use of social media in Pakistan.
Adil Shahzeb (Journalist/Anchorperson)
Prominent analyst and anchorperson Adil Shahzeb says that any attempt to utilize Baloch and Pashtuns against the state should be strictly resisted since everyone is a shareholder in Pakistan and it is their shared motherland. In response to a query, he stated that the historic Shanghai Cooperation Organization event was hosted in Islamabad because of state efforts in addition to the sacrifices made by Pakistan’s forces to tackle security issues. In addition, a record number of foreign investment deals were also made, but the sad thing is that due to the negligence of a particular party, certain linguistic groups and the media, all these achievements were not mentioned at all, but an attempt was made to make the state institutions controversial by spreading negative propaganda against Pakistan and as a link to this, the allegations and statements of a particular party and a group holding a jirga in Peshawar were used against Pakistan on the world stage. According to Adil Shahzeb, despite all the grievances and discrimination, no nationality or province can be allowed to be used against the Pakistani state in the context of the ongoing situation and everyone will have to play their role in this regard.