Tarar calls for stronger narrative battle to counter terrorism and extremism

Information Minister Attaullah Tarar on Tuesday said Pakistan’s fight against terrorism must extend beyond security operations to countering extremist narratives and misinformation, arguing that the country’s experience showed the “perception and narrative war” often began before the actual conflict. Addressing a capacity-building workshop organised by the Sustainable Social Development Organisation (SSDO) in Islamabad, Tarar said Pakistan had made significant gains against terrorism, but that a policy reversal had subsequently undermined years of counter-terrorism efforts. “Information managers or narrative builders have to reduce the gap between perception and reality,” Tarar said, stressing the importance of the information battle in countering terrorism. He said Pakistan had faced major security challenges in Karachi and parts of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, prompting the state to introduce the National Action Plan, which he said received support from all stakeholders. “Federal and provincial governments, the armed forces and other institutions worked together to eliminate terrorism,” he said, adding that narrative-building had been an important part of that effort. Tarar said terrorism had been eliminated to a large extent by 2017, after which investment had started returning to Pakistan and the security situation had improved. He argued, however, that a subsequent change in policy had caused significant damage to the counter-terrorism campaign. “The four years of efforts against terrorism suffered greatly because of the policy reversal,” he said, adding that political parties had not been taken into confidence when the policy was changed. Tarar said Pakistan had also achieved significant diplomatic gains and had emerged as a mediator, contributing to an improved international perception of the country. Read: Suspect arrested over India-linked digital influence campaign: Tarar “Pakistan's soft image has emerged across the world,” he said, adding that the government was working to further improve the country's image through “the power of narrative”. He said terrorism had no colour, race or religion, and that the state would not tolerate attempts to impose ideologies through violence. Tarar further said the National Action Plan's legal framework needed to be further strengthened, while the government, provinces and other institutions continued working together to counter terrorism and extremist narratives. “Policies must have continuity, and political parties should reach consensus on them,” he said. Referring to the Pahalgam attack and the subsequent tensions with India, Tarar said the battle over perceptions had begun even before any military confrontation. He questioned India’s account of the incident, asking how an FIR could have been registered within half an hour of the attack and how alleged attackers could have travelled from the Line of Control to Pahalgam in such a short period through difficult mountainous terrain. “If the attackers entered the area so easily, where were India’s security arrangements, and why were they not detected?” he asked. Tarar said Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s offer at the Pakistan Military Academy in Kakul for an internationally conducted, transparent investigation into the Pahalgam incident had left India without an effective response. He said Pakistan had used international media platforms to highlight its own experience of terrorism, including 90,000 deaths among soldiers, police, law enforcement personnel, politicians, professionals and civilians, including children. “Pakistan is a country that has sacrificed in the war against terrorism; it cannot be compared with a country that promotes terrorism,” he said. Read More: Terrorists must not be called by any other name, says Tarar He also referred to the arrest of Indian national Kulbhushan Jadhav in Balochistan, saying Pakistan had presented the case as evidence of Indian involvement in terrorism. “When these facts were presented before the media, India had no answer,” he said. Tarar maintained that Pakistani society and the country’s security forces had acted as a “shield” between terrorists and the rest of the world. “If Pakistan and the Pakistani people had not fought this war against terrorism, these terrorists would have been roaming in countries around the world,” he said. Tarar said terrorist groups had increasingly shifted towards “soft targets” after facing setbacks against security forces. He cited the Jaffar Express attack and said security agencies had conducted the subsequent rescue operation with professional expertise. He also said there was “no doubt” that an external hand was involved in terrorism in Pakistan. Tarar said the government was strengthening the legal and institutional framework to address cybercrime, misinformation and online activity that could contribute to extremist narratives. “We have established a Digital Communication Department on modern lines,” he said, adding that the government had offered provincial administrations assistance in establishing similar departments. He said the department used artificial intelligence-based monitoring and speech-to-text technology to track emerging narratives and issues in the digital space. Also Read: FO rubbishes India's 'baseless assertions' linking Pakistan to arrests of terror suspects Tarar also highlighted Pakistan TV's efforts to promote a positive national image through content on culture, music, cuisine, arts and tourism. He said the government was willing to support the establishment of television channel bureaux in southern districts of Balochistan to address delays in reporting from the province. He also praised the Balochistan government's efforts on the narrative front and said development in the province had always remained a government priority. He said Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Chief of Defence Forces and Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Asim Munir were committed to Balochistan's rights and prosperity. Tarar said the prime minister's decision to provide funding for improvements to the N-25 highway had received broad support. He also cited measures taken for Balochistan during Shehbaz's tenure as Punjab chief minister and said Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz had provided Rs15 billion to the Balochistan government for counter-terrorism efforts. He argued that political parties should develop consensus on policies of national importance so that they could continue regardless of which party was in government. Citing the Rescue 1122 emergency service as an example, Tarar said Shehbaz had continued the project after becoming Punjab chief minister in 2008 despite its association with a political opponent and that it was later expanded into a nationwide programme.