ISLAMABAD, (APP – UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News – 18th Aug, 2026) Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Attaullah Tarar on Tuesday said terrorists had no colour, race or religion and that imposing ideologies through violence was unacceptable under any circumstances.
Pakistan had sacrificed 90,000 precious lives in the war against terrorism, while the Pakistani nation, armed forces and entire society were a strong shield between terrorists and the rest of the world, he said.
Addressing a capacity-building workshop organised by the Sustainable Social Development Organisation (SSDO) for parliamentarians from Balochistan, Punjab and Sindh on the counter-terrorism framework and legislative responsibilities, the minister said effective measures had been taken to eliminate terrorism through joint efforts of state institutions, federal and provincial governments and the people.
He said terrorism had been eliminated from the country to a large extent by 2017. At that time, he said, the state had introduced the National Action Plan in view of security challenges including the law-and-order situation in Karachi, terrorist activities in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, a wave of terrorism in some areas of Balochistan and growing militancy from southern towards central Punjab.
He said all relevant stakeholders responded to the National Action Plan and federal and provincial governments, armed forces and other institutions jointly worked against terrorism, resulting in its elimination to a large extent. An effective narrative also played an important role in the successful struggle against terrorism, he added.
Tarar said the elimination of terrorism in 2017 improved the law-and-order situation from Karachi to Khyber and investment started in the country. However, he said, a subsequent policy change, including developing sympathy for terrorists and their facilitators and adopting a policy of resettling and negotiating with them, seriously undermined four years of national efforts against terrorism.
He said political parties had not been taken into confidence over the decision to change the policy, although political consensus was necessary on important issues such as national security and terrorism. The current terrorism situation in the country, he added, was a consequence of the policy change after 2017.
The minister said that, significant improvement had been witnessed in several areas under the National Action Plan during the last two-and-a-half to three years. Terrorists were now turning towards relatively soft targets instead of difficult targets, he added.
Referring to the Jaffar Express incident, he said such an incident had not occurred previously and security agencies had completed the rescue operation with professional expertise.
He said the basic reason for the damage caused by terrorism was the policy change, adding that there was no doubt about the involvement of an external hand in recent terrorist activities as such operations could not take place without external interference.
Tarar said the role of narrative was extremely important in the struggle against terrorism and that perception was often more powerful than reality.
“As information managers or narrative builders, our job is to reduce the gap between perception and reality,” he said.
He said the battle of perception and narrative had started immediately after the Pahalgam incident, even before the actual war, when India levelled baseless allegations against Pakistan.
Pakistan effectively responded to the allegations, he said, by questioning how an FIR could be registered within half an hour of the Pahalgam incident and, if the attackers had come from Pakistan as claimed by India, how they could have reached Pahalgam in such a short time when the Line of Control was around 150 kilometres away and difficult mountainous terrain lay between the two locations.
He also questioned how Indian security forces had failed to identify or stop the attackers in time.
Tarar said Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, while addressing the Pakistan Military academy at Kakul, offered an internationally transparent investigation into the Pahalgam incident, after which India became confused and had no effective response.
He said the battle of narratives continued for several days and, as information minister, he presented Pakistan’s position before international media outlets including CNN, BBC, Sky News, CNBC, Al Jazeera and Al Arabiya.
He said Pakistan raised before the international media the question of how a nation that had sacrificed 90,000 precious lives in the war against terrorism could support terrorism.
The victims included soldiers and officers of the armed forces, police and law-enforcement personnel, politicians, ordinary citizens, engineers, doctors and children, he said, adding that innocent children of the Army Public school had also sacrificed their lives in the war against terrorism.
The minister said Pakistan was a nation whose every segment had made unprecedented sacrifices in the war against terrorism, whereas India had itself been involved in the killing of minorities in different countries.
He said during the height of terrorism, every other Pakistani family had an enduring story of sacrifice, yet India levelled allegations of cross-border terrorism against Pakistan although Pakistan itself was fighting terrorism and had suffered heavy loss of life in the war.
He said incidents involving the targeting of minorities by India abroad were before the world and evidence had emerged of India’s involvement in the killing of a Sikh citizen in Canada. Incidents of members of minority communities being targeted by the Indian government had also emerged in different countries, he added.
Tarar said Pakistan presented its narrative before the international media on the basis of facts and available evidence, arguing that a country which had sacrificed lives in the war against terrorism could not be compared with a country involved in promoting terrorism.
He said Pakistan had concrete evidence in support of its position, including the arrest from Balochistan of Indian spy Kulbhushan Jadhav, who, he said, was involved in terrorist activities and facilitation of terrorists in Pakistan.
When these facts and evidence were presented before the international media, India had no effective response, he added.
The minister said an examination of the narrative of the Indian media and some analysts regarding Balochistan showed a clear trend of India continuously targeting the province.
He said the arrest of Kulbhushan Jadhav from Balochistan was clear evidence of India’s involvement in sponsoring terrorism and unrest inside Pakistan.
Tarar said Pakistan’s narrative against terrorism had a central role, adding that had the Pakistani nation and armed forces not fought the war against terrorism, terrorists would have been moving around different countries of the world.
“The Pakistani nation, armed forces and the entire Pakistani society are a strong shield between terrorists and the rest of the world,” he said, adding that when a Pakistani was martyred in the war against terrorism, he sacrificed his life not only for his country and cause but also to make the world a safer and more peaceful place.
He said Pakistan had fought an effective battle on the narrative front against terrorism, in which Allah Almighty had granted a major success. Pakistan’s position had become stronger internationally and the world had accepted the Pakistani narrative, he added.
The minister said the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, ISPR and Pakistani media had played an important role in this success.
Referring to the Maarka-e-Haq, he said Indian media had made several baseless claims, including claims about the destruction of ports in Lahore and Multan. Pakistani media, however, demonstrated responsible journalism and presented the facts.
He said the nation remained united and Pakistan presented its position before the world on the basis of facts and figures, resulting in success.
Tarar said the information sector already had laws, while the wing established under the Federal Investigation Agency to deal with cybercrimes had now been converted into the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency.
He said even a single post by an individual on digital platforms could put another person’s life at risk, while serious issues relating to counter-terrorism, harassment of women and child abuse were also being faced.
Misinformation and misleading content in the digital sphere, he said, could pose a threat to society and people’s lives and property, creating a need for an effective legal framework and system.
He said enforcement of law was an important element in the process of narrative-building under the National Action Plan. This included legislation, regulation and systems to effectively prevent attempts to shape people’s minds through anti-state narratives and propaganda.
Referring to Mahrang Baloch, Tarar said she had received education through state resources and government support and had become a doctor. He questioned why, after the state had provided her opportunities to complete her education and become an educated member of society, she had launched a campaign against the same state.
He questioned the sources of financial resources for her sit-in, arrival in Islamabad and other activities and asked who was financing them.
The minister said evidence existed of external involvement in terrorism and anti-state activities, adding that the arrest of Kulbhushan Jadhav from Balochistan was among the authenticated evidence in this regard.
He said counter-terrorism under the National Action Plan remained an important government priority and the existing legal framework was being further improved according to changing requirements.
Tarar stressed that the federal government and all provinces must jointly participate in the battle of narratives to effectively and coherently counter anti-state propaganda and attempts to influence public opinion.
He said measures were under way in this regard, but there was room for further improvement in the existing system. The legal framework under the National Action Plan needed to be made more effective and the state’s positive role on the perception-building front strengthened, he added.
The minister said provincial assemblies had an important role in this process and had enacted legislation against terrorism and for protection of the state narrative.
He said the Balochistan government had also taken notable steps to counter anti-state propaganda and present its position effectively, where efforts were being made to create a specific narrative through negative propaganda.
He assured that the federal government would also play its full role in this regard.
Tarar said the government had established a new Digital Communication Department through changes in rules to modernise communication, media monitoring and national narrative-building through modern technology.
He said the modern digital setup established at the Pak-China Friendship Centre had also played an effective role during the Maarka-e-Haq.
The centre, he said, had an artificial intelligence-based media monitoring system which identified important news and issues being discussed on electronic media.
Through speech-to-text technology based on artificial intelligence, important subjects discussed on electronic media were automatically converted into written form, helping identify media trends and important issues in a timely manner, he added.
The federal government, he said, had offered provincial governments assistance in establishing Digital Communication Departments.
If any province wanted to develop its own system, he said, the government would provide the required technology and expert assistance so that provinces could develop systems according to their needs.
He said several small social media cells had been operating in the country, but there had been a lack of an integrated and organised digital structure between the federation and provinces. The gap was now being addressed through a modern digital system, he added.
He said the government had also launched a new digital initiative under Pakistan Television, under which content was being produced on culture, music, food, arts and tourism, among other areas.
The purpose of the initiative, he said, was to highlight Pakistan’s positive and soft image before the world through the digital sphere.
Tarar said that over the next two to two-and-a-half years, more effective measures would be taken in the digital sector to project Pakistan’s positive image and promote inter-provincial communication, harmony and cooperation so that a positive and comprehensive image of the entire country could be presented to the world.
He said the establishment of tv channel bureaus in southern Punjab and Balochistan was necessary because in some areas a morning news story reached the centre late at night, which was a major challenge. He asked private television channels to submit proposals in this regard.
The minister said Pakistan’s soft image had emerged across the world, the country had achieved major successes at the diplomatic level and had emerged as an effective mediator that was being respected internationally.
He said the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting was making full efforts to use the power of narrative to further highlight Pakistan’s positive image worldwide, while a special cell had also been established at the Press Information Department to work for the elimination of violent extremism.
Tarar said the elders of Pakistan had made great sacrifices for the country, migrating and sacrificing their lives and property. Pakistan came into existence on the night of 27th Ramazan and, God willing, would remain until the Day of Judgment.
He said Pakistan’s international respect and successes were a sign that the country would progress further and the nation would take it forward through unity.
The minister said Balochistan’s development had always remained a government priority. Balochistan had a major share in the federation, he said, adding that Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif and Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir had a special commitment to the rights, development and prosperity of Balochistan and its development was given importance in policymaking.
He said the prime minister’s announcement for the construction and rehabilitation of the N-25 highway had been welcomed across the country and nobody had opposed the decision. Punjab, Sindh and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, along with the rest of the country, had supported the initiative for Balochistan.
He said the prime minister’s sentiments regarding Balochistan were not limited to the present period, as he had long raised his voice for the province’s development and rights and directed at every meeting that Balochistan’s interests be kept in view in development projects.
Tarar said Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, during his tenure as chief minister of Punjab, had ensured special quotas and opportunities for Balochistan’s students and universities and allocated a specific share for Balochistan’s students in Punjab’s development policies.
He said Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif had also provided Rs15 billion to the Balochistan government for counter-terrorism, for which the Balochistan government thanked the Punjab government for allocating additional funds.
The federal minister stressed the need for political consensus on the continuity of certain basic and national policies. Whichever party won an election, he said, good policies and policies in the national interest should continue.
Citing Rescue 1122 as an example, he said that although Chaudhry Pervez Elahi was politically opposed to them, Rescue 1122 was one of his excellent initiatives and he would always be given credit for it.
He said Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, as chief minister of Punjab, expanded Rescue 1122 and its scope was later extended to Balochistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Sindh, thereby turning a provincial initiative into a national programme.
He said the Benazir Income Support Programme was also a good initiative associated with Shaheed Benazir Bhutto and successive governments had continued it beyond political differences.
Tarar said there were numerous examples where successive governments, despite political differences, continued good projects of previous governments instead of ending them.
He said there was a need to develop political consensus under which good projects of previous governments and policies in the national interest could be continued.
He recalled that when a large number of political leaders were in jail and top opposition leadership was absent, Shehbaz Sharif, as opposition leader, had proposed a Charter of Economy in the national interest.
“Ultimately, the country will have to develop consensus on policies that are not affected by changes in governments,” he said.
Tarar said that just as terrorism had been eliminated from Karachi in 2017 and the law-and-order situation had significantly improved, all political forces would also have to work together for the development of Karachi.
