Latest news with #AttaTarar
Express Tribune
16-07-2025
- Politics
- Express Tribune
PECA aimed at tackling digital threats, not silencing free speech: Tarar
Listen to article Federal Information Minister Atta Tarar said on Wednesday that amendments to the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA) and the establishment of a new national agency are aimed at tackling rising digital threats—not suppressing freedom of expression. Speaking in Islamabad, Tarar said the legislation is designed to improve accountability in the online space and protect vulnerable communities. The remarks by the minister come amid growing concerns around freedom of speech in the country. Earlier on Friday, an Islamabad court suspended an order that had banned 27 YouTube channels operated by journalists and commentators. The ban had been imposed by a lower court following a request from the newly formed National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA), which accused the channels of spreading anti-state and defamatory content. The move was enabled under provisions of the PECA. 'These laws are not meant to suppress free speech,' he said. 'Even the best democracies maintain systems of justice and accountability.' He said the legislation seeks to make online spaces safer, particularly for women and vulnerable communities. Read: Provinces made party to case against PECA amendments 'The digital space must protect, not endanger, those already at risk in society,' he added. Tarar warned that the misuse of social media poses one of the most serious challenges of the modern era. Citing a World Economic Forum report, he said the negative use of digital platforms represents a global threat. 'Fake news and propaganda are among the most dangerous issues facing societies today,' he said. 'Anyone can easily incite violence on these platforms.' He blamed all political parties for contributing to the unchecked growth of online misinformation and called for a national effort to promote responsible digital conduct. Information minister noted the rapid expansion of social media and the shift from traditional print to electronic and digital platforms, which, he said, evolved with little oversight. He urged political leaders to use their platforms to raise awareness around societal issues such as gender discrimination and patriarchy. While entertainment and fashion accounts attract millions of followers, he said, social media should also be used for constructive and inclusive dialogue. 'Social media should work under a new framework to address real social issues,' he concluded.
Express Tribune
10-07-2025
- Politics
- Express Tribune
Pakistan, China aim to counter fake news
Pakistan and China have agreed to strengthen ties and launch joint broadcasting projects to effectively tackle fake news and disinformation. This agreement was reached during a meeting between Pakistan's Federal Minister for Information Atta Tarar and Deputy Head of the Publicity Department of the CPC Central Committee and Party Secretary of the National Radio and Television Administration of China Minister Cao Shumin. Both sides agreed that strengthening media, cultural, and people-to-people relations would introduce new dimensions to the longstanding Pakistan-China friendship, reported Radio Pakistan on Thursday.
Express Tribune
10-05-2025
- Politics
- Express Tribune
77 Indian drones downed so far
Pakistan Army intercepted and destroyed 77 Israeli-made Harop drones, sent by India to target civilian and military installations, Information Minister Atta Tarar confirmed on Friday. At least 29 drones were intercepted since Wednesday until Thursday evening, with an additional 48 shot down overnight and into Friday. Along the Line of Control (LoC), security sources said, five civilians were martyred and seven others injured in unprovoked Indian shelling on residential areas. The shelling targeted Hajeera, Forward Kahuta, and Khuiratta areas using heavy artillery, causing civilian casualties and structural damage, they say. Indian forces are using heavy artillery to target civilian populations along the LoC, according to security sources. The shelling has prompted a strong and immediate response from the Pakistan Army, they added. According to security sources, Indian troops also raised a white flag near Dharamsal 2 post opposite Battal sector after sustained retaliation by the Pakistan Army. Army officials emphasised that any aggression along the LoC will be met with a swift and effective response.
Yahoo
09-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Escalation feared as India, Pakistan continue drone war, clashes
In the escalating conflict between Pakistan and India, troops from both countries have once again engaged in overnight fights. The surging escalation triggered global concerns that the time might be running out to prevent a full-blown conflict between nuclear-armed rivals. India's army accused Pakistan of launching "multiple attacks using drones and other munitions along the entire western border" during the night. The drone attacks were reportedly repelled, the army announced on the platform X and the Indian army also retaliated, it said. It accused Pakistan of multiple ceasefire violations. Islamabad initially did not comment on the allegations. At least one woman was killed and four other civilians were injured from artillery fire in the Indian-administered part of the Himalayan region of Kashmir, the newspaper The Indian Express reported, citing government officials. This brings the number of civilian deaths in India to 17 since Wednesday, according to India. Pakistan claims it shot down 50 drones The Pakistani military said forces shot down nearly 50 more Israel-manufactured HAROP drones launched by India overnight and Friday morning on the third day of clashes between South Asian neighbours. This brought the total number of fallen Indian drone in Pakistan to 77 since Wednesday night, Information Minister Atta Tarar said. At least six more Pakistani civilians died and more than two dozen were injured as Indian troops fired artillery on villages across Kashmir border, local disaster management agency said. The clashes started when India launched a series of air and surface missile strikes inside Pakistan on Tuesday night, killing at least 33 people, the military said. New Delhi said strikes targeted hideouts of Islamist jihadist groups allegedly behind last month's deadly terrorist attack in Indian part of Kashmir that had killed 26 tourists in Kashmir. India blames Pakistan for backing several Islamist militants groups behind deadly attacks in Kashmir - an allegation Islamabad denies. Pakistan said those killed in the strikes were civilians including children as young as three and women. Mediation efforts underway Several world capitals continued their efforts to prevent further escalation following the worst clashes between Indian and Pakistan since their Himalayan conflict in 1999. The deputy prime minister of Saudi Arabia, one of Pakistan's closest allies, arrived in Islamabad on Friday after vising New Delhi for US-backed efforts to seek de-escalation. Adel al-Jubeir was set to meet Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Ishaq Dar, deputy prime minister, to share Indian proposals for easing tensions. Britain's Foreign Secretary David Lammy called his Indian and Pakistani counterparts to urge both the countries to show restraints. Islamabad vowed to retaliate to Indian missile strikes at the time of its liking, stoking fears of a spiralling escalation. The war cabinet on Wednesday authorized the military to retaliate against Indian strikes, as the rising escalation could lead to a full-blown conflict and even a long-term war. Parts of airspaces and several dozen airports remained closed in both countries, leaving thousands of passengers stranded. Conflict affecting cricket - beloved by both sides High-valued leagues of cricket, a popular sport in South Asia, were suspended in both India and Pakistan as international players refused to play under the cloud of war. India and Pakistan have fought three wars since their independence in 1947 over the control of Kashmir, parts of which are controlled by both countries, though the two nations each claim in is theirs.
Yahoo
07-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Pakistan says eight killed in Indian strikes as tensions soar
Eight people have been killed and 33 others injured in Indian attacks on Pakistani targets, the Pakistani military said early on Wednesday. India launched missile strikes from air and surface on at least six locations inside Pakistan, claiming to target the hideouts of militant groups behind a late April attack in the disputed region of Kashmir in which at least 26 civilians were killed. Pakistani military spokesman Major General Sharif Chaudhry said 24 missiles targeted six locations, mostly mosques and associated residential quarters, killing eight people and wounding 33. Another two people were missing, he said. The Foreign Ministry did not give an exact number of victims, but said that women and children were among them. Previously, intelligence sources had reported that a child had been killed after missiles hit a mosque in the city of Bahwalpur in eastern Pakistan's Punjab. Information Minister Atta Tarar said Pakistani missiles had shot down five Indian fighter jets and an unmanned aerial vehicle. Bahawalpur is said to be the town where the militant group Jaish-e-Muhammad, which India had accused of being behind several deadly cross-border attacks, is based. A small town near the eastern city of Lahore was also hit. Another anti-India militant group, Lashkar-e-Toiba, is allegedly based there. India's strikes also targeted the city of Muzaffarabad, the capital of Pakistani-administered Kashmir, and a small town called Kotli in the same region, the military said. India's Defence Ministry said in a statement in the early hours of Wednesday that at least nine sites were targeted in Pakistan and Pakistani-controlled Kashmir from "where terrorist attacks against India have been planned." The targets are "terrorist infrastructure," the ministry said in a statement. "Our actions have been focused, measured and non-escalatory in nature," the statement said. "No Pakistani military facilities have been targeted." Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said his country reserved the right to retaliate for the "cowardly" attack. Pakistani military sources told dpa they had started targeting military infrastructure on the Indian side of Kashmir. Tensions between the nuclear-armed neighbours have escalated since April 22, when at least 26 people were killed in a militant attack on a group of tourists in the town of Pahalgam, in Indian-administered Kashmir. New Delhi pointed the finger at Islamabad, accusing it of supporting the militants. Pakistan denied having any role and offered to hold an independent investigation. The conflict started hours after global bodies, including the United Nations and major world powers, urged the nuclear-armed rivals to exercise maximum restraint and avoid a direct conflict. The South Asian nations have fought three wars since their independence in 1947 and pulled back from the brink of a fourth one over contested Kashmir, a picturesque Himalayan valley divided in parts between the two countries.
