Daily Times

Minister for Information and Broadcasting Chaudhry Fawad Hussain has said that Pakistan and the Holy See could work together to counter fake news and hate material.

During a meeting with the Ambassador of the Holy See in Islamabad, Christophe EL Kassis, he said that in this age of technology war of narratives has replaced war of weapons and certain countries and groups were using the tool of media to malign and defame their opponents.

He said that the United Nations should come up with some framework to control fake news and hate content in the media.

The minister said that there was a need for getting awareness about each other’s cultures and religious values to promote better understanding of religions. He said that in the past the world lacked technology for communication, but now the situation has reversed and news spreads very quickly. He said that countering propaganda has become a big challenge for the entire world.

The minister said that the governments could control hate material on mainstream media, but social media was being used by proscribed organisations.

The minister said that the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting has been working to promote interfaith harmony and peaceful coexistence. He said that now a days birth celebrations of the founder of Sikh religion Baba Guru Nanak were being held and national television was airing special programmes on his life and teachings.

The ambassador of Vatican called for promotion of interfaith harmony among the followers of various religions to ensure peace in the world. He said the embassy of the Holy See wanted to have collaboration with local churches in Pakistan.

Meanwhile, Minister for Information and Broadcasting Chaudhry Fawad Hussain on Friday congratulated working journalists over the passage of Journalist Protection Act ( JPA) from the Senate.

In a tweet, he said the law would, for the first time, give working journalists the same rights as journalist community enjoyed in highly developed societies. The minister said the law was manifestation of Prime Minister Imran Khan’s commitment to press freedom. He thanked Minister for Human Rights Shereen Mazari who worked hard to transform this idea into reality on his request. Fawad said that implementation of this law would play an important role in protecting the journalists and bringing about positive change in their lives.