STRATEGIC COMMUNICATION AND COUNTER-PROPAGANDA IN PAKISTAN

Abstract

In the modern shape of conflict, strategic communication has emerged as an integral part of national security, as the battle now hinges on a mix of military pressure, cyber, politics, terrorism, economic coercion and the manipulation of the information environment. Pakistan is especially vulnerable to these pressures. Its media landscape is polarised, its digital population is growing, terrorist groups are still using media for recruitment and intimidation, and both domestic and foreign actors are abusing social media to spread fake, out-of-context and/or emotionally manipulated information. The paper explores Pakistan's strategic communication architecture, maps the main propaganda/disinformation tools targeting national institutions and society and reviews the measures under the current framework. It identifies substantial institutional assets but no adequate national system through a qualitative analysis of official policies, laws, peer-reviewed research, institutional reports, material on platform transparency and the international governance standards. Sharing confidential information regarding threats to the information is recognized as a policy in Pakistan, a public-information body was established, Pakistan has diplomatic communication networks, counter-extremism narratives have been developed, cyber-response capacity has been built and an emerging artificial-intelligence policy has been formulated in the country. Requirements are still somewhat dislocated, however answers are often reactive, requirements for attribution are not consistent, there is a limited ability to use the local language, and success is sometimes measured by product, and not by changes in belief, trust or resilience. The paper suggests a rights-based national coordination of civilian policy, a permanent fusion mechanism for information and environment, standards of evidence and attribution that are transparent, fast communication in multiple languages, independent fact-checking, artificial-intelligence and deepfake forensics, and media-literacy that is tailored to the needs of the audience, as well as platform cooperation, public diplomacy integration, legal safeguards, and measurable performance indicators. The main thesis of this text is that the better way to deal with the negative narrative is not to propagate Pakistan-centric propaganda but to communicate the truth quickly, credibly, inclusively and in a manner more aligned to the performance of policy.