Web Desk

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Friday urged D-8 member states to adopt a unified media strategy to counter Islamophobia, extremism, and the rising tide of global misinformation, as Information Minister Attaullah Tarar addressed the D-8 Media Forum in Baku. Tarar cautioned that the global information ecosystem had been transformed by rapid digitalization, saying the world had moved &ldquo;from print to electronic and now to digital media,&rdquo; creating new vulnerabilities for societies. &ldquo;Disinformation distorts public perception, fuels polarization and weakens institutional trust,&rdquo; he warned. He highlighted Pakistan&rsquo;s demographic strength as a key driver of digital change, noting 117 million internet users, nearly 80 million social media users, and a population in which 68 percent is under 30. According to him, this youthful segment &ldquo;has become a vital force in shaping narratives, particularly during crises.&rdquo; Recalling Pakistan&rsquo;s experience during heightened tensions with India, he noted that &ldquo;young citizens collaborated with media houses and digital platforms to disseminate timely and accurate information,&rdquo; saying Gen Z &ldquo;played a vital role in countering misinformation during the information war.&rdquo; Tarar called for a collective D-8 code of conduct to promote responsible communication, saying the forum provides an opportunity &ldquo;to guide Gen Z on the positive use of social media&rdquo; while bridging the divide between &ldquo;digital immigrants and digital natives.&rdquo; Welcoming the establishment of Azerbaijan&rsquo;s Media Excellence Center, he urged deeper collaboration through a joint working group, shared training programs, and workshops on crisis reporting, digital forensics, and counter-disinformation practices. He proposed creating unified communication platforms for the bloc, saying: &ldquo;I would also like to propose the creation of social media handles of the D8 Media Forum.&rdquo; &ldquo;Through which member countries can put forward the narratives of economic development, of uplifting the people of our countries,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;Providing a platform to counter Islamophobia, counter terrorism and to put out a narrative of common development of D8 countries.&rdquo; Tarar also called for a bloc-wide fact-checking mechanism and proposed the &ldquo;Baku Declaration of Media Collaboration&rdquo; as a roadmap for long-term media cooperation. Addressing emerging challenges posed by artificial intelligence, he said, &ldquo;AI-generated videos must be clearly labeled so users can distinguish synthetic content from authentic material,&rdquo; urging the D-8 to consider adopting shared ethical guidelines. Reaffirming Islamabad&rsquo;s readiness to deepen cooperation, Tarar said Pakistan stands prepared &ldquo;to promote peace, credibility, crisis preparedness, and an information environment where truth prevails over misinformation.&rdquo; He thanked the Government of Azerbaijan, President Ilham Haider Aliyev, Hikmet Hajiyev, and the D-8 Secretariat for hosting the forum, expressing hope that the gathering would strengthen collaborative media practices and contribute to a peaceful and prosperous future for the D-8 nations.

Foreign Affairs

Information Minister Attaullah Tarar says divide between tech-savvy youth and older citizens defines current society. Younger demographics now drive public discourse, especially during emergencies.

Articles tagged with "d-8 MEDIA FORUM"

In Baku, Pakistan proposes unified D-8 media strategy against Islamophobia