After years in the newsroom and in front of the camera, reading stories shaped by misinformation and disinformation, a visible shift is now emerging. International headlines are changing, the false narratives have finally hit a wall. The truth is no longer hiding — it has been brought into the open.
Global media has often falsely framed Pakistan as the primary source of terrorism despite its history of counter-terrorism efforts. However, the reality on the ground is increasingly making it difficult for the international community to ignore Pakistan's actual role and the complexities of the security landscape, be it regional or international.
As hard facts, data and on-ground evidence come to the fore, these long-standing narratives are now facing major challenges.
Two decades, 80,000 lives and roughly $150 billion in economic loss - that is the price Pakistan has paid.
Before delving further into details, one needs to understand one thing – the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), which has been designated as Fitna-Al-Khawarij, instigates, facilitates and perpetrates terrorism in Pakistan from Afghan soil.
From suicide blasts to cross-border attacks, this group is behind these heinous crimes, which target Pakistan's sovereignty and weaken its security.
Since 2022, Pakistan has conducted eight major operations to combat and counter terrorism in all its forms and manifestations.
Among them are Raad-ul-Fasaad and Azm-e-Istehkam, which were undertaken to eliminate terrorist sleeper cells in the urban areas and counter the resurgence of militancy after Afghan Taliban came into power in 2021.
In 2009, the National Counter Terrorism Authority was established to ensure coordination between various state institutions on intelligence sharing and policy.
After the horrific APS Peshawar attack in 2014, the consensual 20-point national action plan was devised. With laws and regulations being passed to stop terror financing, Pakistan gradually gained the upper hand in tackling the menace of terrorism.
With religious scholars signing the Paigham-e-Pakistan in 2018, this all-inclusive decree declared suicide bombings and domestic insurgency ‘un-Islamic’, which challenged extremist ideology.
While being targeted by foreign disinformation campaigns, reports from the EU DisinfoLab exposed the huge network of these fake media outlets – all backed and sponsored by India and its agencies.
Following the regional shift in 2021, the Afghan Taliban interim regime, despite their international commitments, consistently and persistently allowed Afghan soil to be used by various terrorist organizations, such as the TTP, to carry out their attacks.
The support they provided to these terror outfits should have actually been directed towards the Afghan people, especially women and children. That being said, the new nexus of the India-Afghan Taliban- Fitna-Al-Khawarij has not pushed Pakistan on the back foot, but instead made the country resilient and its security forces more determined and prepared.
With global media now looking closely towards Pakistan's fight against terrorism, India’s credibility has suffered dramatically – in fact it has gone down the drain.
India should therefore serve as an example for those relying on fake news. Sensational news, which India spread without any context, defied journalistic ethics and values, and only ended up tarnishing its image.
With facts, data, and real-time evidence readily available, false narratives are no longer finding space in international discourse. This is why Pakistan stands resolute and sound as foreign accusations disintegrate from their seams.
Disinformation campaigns proved false as seen during the mass shooting in Sydney’s Bondi Beach, when major media outlets linked the shooters to Pakistan without any verification.
This rush of judgment without verifying facts proves and highlights the systematic biases that Pakistan and its people face and fight on a daily basis.
Naila Shuja is a news presenter at Pakistan TV Satellite.
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