LAHORE: Punjab Minister for Information and Culture Azma Bokhari has directed provincial departments to move from a reactive posture to a coordinated, fact-based strategy against disinformation, telling officials that misleading narratives cannot be neutralised after they have already taken hold.
According to an official statement issued on Friday, the fourth meeting of the Information Steering/Review Committee was held under the minister’s chairmanship to examine implementation of the revised National Action Plan in Punjab, the progress recorded so far, and the future course of action. Punjab Information Secretary Syed Tahir Raza Hamdani and representatives of the relevant departments attended.
The information secretary briefed participants on steps taken in light of decisions from the previous sitting. The meeting was informed of measures to strengthen inter-departmental coordination, ensure responsible dissemination of information and respond to misleading narratives without delay. Steps taken against disinformation, hate content, negative propaganda and anti-state narratives were also reviewed.
Speaking at the meeting, Bokhari said disinformation and negative narratives could not be countered merely through a reactive approach, and that a timely, fact-based, coordinated and proactive strategy was required instead. She said all relevant departments should operate under a joint strategy with mutual coordination and complete harmony.
The minister said the Information and Culture Department had played an effective and proactive role in achieving the objectives of the National Action Plan. She added that Pakistan’s achievements during the Battle of Haq and the national narrative should also be highlighted effectively.
The framing reflects a wider shift in official communication practice in Pakistan, where provincial information departments have increasingly been assigned a role in narrative management alongside their traditional publicity functions — a role formalised through the revised National Action Plan. Related developments are tracked on The Lahore Times’ national news page.
A substantial portion of the meeting focused on young users. Bokhari said youth and students could be particularly affected by misleading and negative content circulating on digital and social media platforms, making the promotion of media literacy and responsible digital behaviour among them the need of the hour.
She directed that school counselling services and other relevant forums inside educational institutions be effectively engaged, with special measures taken to raise awareness among students. Pupils, she said, should be educated on the responsible use of social media, the identification of fake and misleading information, and fact-checking.
Developing critical thinking and media literacy skills was essential so that students could distinguish between authentic, verified information and fabricated content, the minister said, adding that educational institutions could play a key role in promoting social harmony, tolerance and a positive national narrative. The provincial government has increasingly routed policy initiatives through campuses, including the Punjab e-bike scheme for students, which drew large-scale registration within days of launch.
In a separate statement issued the same day, Bokhari criticised individuals she accused of using filthy and abusive language, saying those who described such people as Pashtuns were in fact insulting the Pashtun community. She said the individuals concerned had been “imposed on the Pashtuns,” describing them in strongly derogatory terms, and repeated an earlier assertion that such conduct could not be attributed to Pashtuns.
“Do not insult the Pashtuns by calling yourselves Pashtuns,” the minister said. Her statement was accompanied by what the release described as various statements attributed to Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf figures. The exchange comes amid continuing legal pressure on the party’s leadership, with several PTI figures reported to be facing warrant action. No response from the party was included in the statement, and none had been received at the time of publication.
The meeting decided that all relevant institutions would play an effective role in countering disinformation, hate speech and anti-state propaganda, and that inter-departmental coordination and the joint strategy would be further strengthened. Implementation is expected to be reviewed at the committee’s next sitting.
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