Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Attaullah Tarar on Wednesday said Pakistan successfully countered India\u2019s false narrative during Marka-e-Haq and the May War through national unity, coordinated state response, responsible media conduct and timely dissemination of factual information at the global level.
\nAddressing a seminar titled \u201cMarka-e-Haq: Victory in the Battlefield & Beyond\u201d at the Institute of Strategic Studies Islamabad, the minister said Pakistan had always believed in peace and the war was imposed upon the country despite its consistent role as a frontline state against terrorism.
\nHe said Pakistan had acted as a shield between terrorists and the rest of the world, adding that India\u2019s narrative suffered from internalizing its external issues and externalizing its internal issues.
\nThe minister said terrorism in India was an internal matter while the Jammu and Kashmir dispute was an internationally recognized issue backed by United Nations Security Council resolutions granting the Kashmiri people the right to self-determination.
\nReferring to the Pahalgam incident, Attaullah Tarar termed it another example of a false flag operation aimed at creating a baseless narrative against Pakistan.
\nHe said there were several inconsistencies in the Indian narrative from the very beginning, noting that an FIR was registered within ten minutes of the incident without any investigation or inquiry while allegations were immediately levelled against Pakistan.
\nThe minister questioned how India could claim cross-border involvement when the Line of Control was over 100 kilometers away from the Pahalgam site and no movement had been detected.
\nHe said Pakistan\u2019s narrative gained strength because all state institutions were aligned and worked with a unified objective of presenting the truth effectively at the right forum and at the right time.
\nThe minister said Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif gave a major boost to Pakistan\u2019s narrative when he offered a fair, transparent and an independent investigation into the Pahalgam incident during his address at PMA Academy Kakul.
\nHe said one year had passed since that offer but India had not responded because Pakistan knew the allegations were baseless and India avoided an impartial investigation.
\nAttaullah Tarar said India further weakened its position globally by attacking innocent civilians in Pakistan on the pretext of the incident.
\nHe said he had led delegations of local and international journalists to sites in Azad Jammu and Kashmir, including Bela Noor Shah, where India had alleged the presence of terrorist camps, to expose its false accusations.
\nThe minister said Pakistan had also planned visits to Muridke and Bahawalpur for journalists before Indian attacks took place.
\nHe said Pakistan acted within its rights under the United Nations Charter by responding in a firm and decisive manner.
\nAttaullah Tarar said Pakistan actively engaged international media during the conflict because the country had \u201ca lot to tell the world\u201d regarding its sacrifices and counter-terrorism efforts.
\nHighlighting Pakistan\u2019s sacrifices, he said more than 90,000 Pakistanis had laid down their lives while the country had suffered hundreds of billions of dollars in economic losses in the fight against terrorism.
\n\u201cHow can a country combating terrorism be blamed for terrorism?\u201d he asked.
\nThe minister also referred to transnational assassinations linked to India, including the killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Canada, and assassination plots in other countries.
\nHe said Pakistan had substantial evidence to support its position and cited the arrest of Indian spy Kulbhushan Yadav in Pakistan as proof of Indian involvement in destabilizing activities.
\nAttaullah Tarar said Pakistan\u2019s task in the narrative domain was to present the truth effectively before the world and the country succeeded in doing so.
\nCriticizing sections of the Indian media, he said Indian channels indulged in \u201cwar hysteria\u201d and made absurd claims during the May War.
\nHe contrasted that with the conduct of Pakistani media, academia and intelligentsia, saying Pakistani media outlets, analysts, reporters and social media users presented authentic, verified and factual information that could not be contradicted internationally.
\nThe minister said there was complete unanimity and uninterrupted flow of information between state institutions and the private media sector during the conflict.
\nPraising the younger generation, he said Pakistani Gen Z played a remarkable role during the war through a \u201cmeme war\u201d on social media.
\nHe said while missiles and bombs were flying, Pakistani youth responded with creativity on digital platforms, surprising the enemy and strengthening Pakistan\u2019s narrative globally.
\nAttaullah Tarar said Pakistan remained at the \u201ctop of its game\u201d in the narrative, diplomatic and conventional warfare domains because it had truth on its side and effectively communicated it to the world.
\nHe said India continued making mistakes that exposed its nefarious designs, while Pakistan\u2019s unity at every level helped strengthen its position.
\nThe minister paid tribute to Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir for his leadership during the conflict and said Pakistan\u2019s response lifted the morale of the nation.
\nHe said Pakistan targeted military installations while India had attacked civilians.
\nThe minister said Pakistan Air Force demonstrated its dominance during aerial engagements, stating Indian Rafale aircraft brought down during the conflict shattered Indian arrogance and highlighted Pakistan\u2019s indigenous technological capabilities.
\nHe added that Pakistan Navy remained fully alert and prepared to counter any aggression.
\nCalling Marka-e-Haq a victory of the entire nation, Attaullah Tarar said the people of Pakistan stood united above political differences and supported the armed forces and government during the conflict.
\nHe said his work in the narrative domain became easier because Pakistan was presenting \u201chard facts\u201d and telling the truth to the world.
\nRecalling the initial Indian strikes in Bahawalpur and Muridke, the minister said he reached the ministry\u2019s newly established state-of-the-art digital communication department within 20 minutes to brief international media regarding the situation.
\nHe said Pakistan played all its cards correctly from the Pahalgam incident to the aftermath of Marka-e-Haq and received strong support from the Pakistani people.
\nThe minister said Pakistan had earned global respect during the year following the success of Marka-e-Haq and emerged as a serious and responsible country at the international level.
\nHe said Pakistan\u2019s leadership was widely respected globally while the world increasingly recognized Pakistan\u2019s talent, relevance and significance.
\nContrasting Pakistan\u2019s position with India\u2019s, he said India spent hundreds of billions of dollars on lobbying and public relations campaigns but moved \u201cfrom shining to isolation\u201d within one year because its narrative was based on propaganda and falsehood.
\nAttaullah Tarar said attempts to impose regional hegemony and behave like a bully in South Asia could never succeed.
\nHe said Marka-e-Haq was a moment of pride for the nation and a reminder to remain grateful to Almighty Allah, expressing hope that Pakistan would continue to prosper and its people would continue to take pride in their country.
\nThe seminar was attended by Chairman Board of Governors ISSI Ambassador (Retd) Khalid Mahmood, former foreign minister Ambassador Jalil Abbas Jilani, Foreign Office Spokesperson Tahir Hussain Andrabi, former Vice Chief of Air Staff Air Marshal (Retd) Farooq Habib, strategic analyst Ahmad Hasan Al Arbi, Khurram Abbas and other distinguished participants.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Attaullah Tarar on Wednesday said Pakistan successfully countered India\u2019s false narrative during Marka-e-Haq and the May War through national unity, coordinated state response, responsible media conduct and timely dissemination of factual information at the global level. Addressing a seminar titled \u201cMarka-e-Haq: Victory in the Battlefield & Beyond\u201d at the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":546060,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-546229","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-top-news"},"yoast_head":"\n