LAHORE
\nFederal Minister for Planning and Development Professor Ahsan Iqbal on Friday warned that misinformation and digital disinformation have emerged as major global threats, stressing the need to build digital resilience through education, awareness and strong cybersecurity measures.
\nAddressing a panel discussion titled \u201cBuilding Digital Resilience\u201d at Afkar-e-Taza – Thinkfest 2026, held at Alhamra, here on Saturday, the minister said that while digital transformation had created vast opportunities, it has also generated serious challenges for states and individuals alike.
\nHe said that safe city projects and digital surveillance systems had improved urban security, but if such systems are hacked, they could be misused for criminal and disruptive purposes.
\nHe cautioned that cyberattacks on banking systems could severely affect financial operations, adding that in the modern era even weapons and warfare have become digital. He emphasized that with increasing digitalization, cybersecurity has become as important as the protection of physical borders.
\n\u201cJust like national boundaries, cyber boundaries also require strong protection,\u201d he said, noting that along with national-level challenges, individuals are also facing growing digital risks.
\nHighlighting misinformation as a key concern, the minister said that spreading disinformation through social media has become extremely easy, while it is increasingly difficult for ordinary citizens to differentiate between real content and AI-generated videos and audio.
\nHe stressed that the new generation must develop the ability to filter digital information, urging the youth to reject any content based on hatred or prejudice. \u201cJust as highways have warning signs, social media users must have internal filters to identify and reject hate and prejudicial messages,\u201d he remarked.
\nThe minister said that besides conventional wars, a new form of conflict is now being fought in the information domain, where disinformation can create divisions between the state and its citizens.
\nHe underscored the importance of addressing these issues through the education system and revealed that instructions have been issued to the Higher Education Commission (HEC) to introduce academic content in universities that helps students distinguish between truth and falsehood.
\nHe further said that the government is working to strengthen the capacity of state institutions to control cybercrimes and is also legislating to address the harassment of women on digital and social media platforms.
\nHe emphasized that freedom of expression should not be allowed to harm individuals\u2019 lives. Referring to global trends, he noted that no country has a complete solution to digital challenges, citing Australia\u2019s decision to ban social media use for children under 16 as an example of emerging regulatory approaches.
\nConcluding his discussion , the minister expressed hope that societies would gradually learn to use freedom of expression, social media and digital platforms responsibly, without hurting others.
\nHe stressed that unity in diversity is the cornerstone of democracy and national strength, warning that any country which fails to maintain internal cohesion would weaken itself without the need for an external enemy.
\nSenior journalist and anchor Mehmal Sarfraz, High Commissioner of Canada to Pakistan Tariq Ali Khan, and Chairperson, Department of Digital Media, Punjab University, Dr Savera Shami, also participated as panelists in the discussion.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
LAHORE Federal Minister for Planning and Development Professor Ahsan Iqbal on Friday warned that misinformation and digital disinformation have emerged as major global threats, stressing the need to build digital resilience through education, awareness and strong cybersecurity measures. Addressing a panel discussion titled \u201cBuilding Digital Resilience\u201d at Afkar-e-Taza – Thinkfest 2026, held at Alhamra, here […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-527466","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-top-news"},"yoast_head":"\n