ISLAMABAD: President Arif Alvi has said India’s disinformation campaign against Pakistan must be countered through ‘cyber strength’ as he urged the youth to look beyond traditional options when choosing a profession.

Addressing the 10th convocation ceremony of the capital’s Air Univ­ersity, the president said India did not learn a lesson even after its “anti-Pakistan nefarious propaganda” was exposed by the EU Disinfo Lab.

He was referring to a number of reports by the non-profit organisation over the past few years, exposing widespread disinformation campaigns aimed at maligning Pakistan and furthering India’s interests. The group’s latest report revealed how Asian News International — a major Indian ‘news’ agency — peddled disinformation using “non-existent” sou­rces and ghost “experts” to target regional rivals, particularly Pakistan and China.

The president said Pakistan should ‘intellectually’ counter this disinformation by acquiring ‘cyber strength’, besides using other conventional means of security. He claimed that Pakistan’s position was dismal in the global cyber ranking last year. “Pakistan was placed nowhere on the list,” he said as he called for overhauling the career choices and shift in retrogressive mindset.

Asks youth to opt for ‘non-traditional’ careers; PM hails PAF’s professionalism

“There is a need for the world’s fifth most populous nation to gain knowledge in contemporary fields, particularly artificial intelligence, cyberspace, and data-driven technology,” he added.

Though Pakistan had achieved professional prowess in traditional and conventional warfare, the president said a “strong foothold in cyberspace” was also vital for the country’s survival.

The president called for policies to impart knowledge about quantum computing and artificial intelligence as “the world witnessed an unprecedented transformation in those fields”.

He said the Higher Education Commission should conduct resea­r­­ch on the requirements of the job market as it would help produce skil­led human resources in line with the demands of national and international organisations.

‘Committed to ensuring peace’

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has said Pakistan was committed to ensuring peace with all countries, but it is also mindful of securing its frontiers, according to APP.

“While we aim for peace with all, we are mindful of our duty to defend the country,” he said in a tweet to mark the fourth anniversary of Pakistan Air Force’s (PAF) successful downing of two Indian fighter jets.

“Today the nation pays rich tribute to PAF for a befitting response to the Indian violation of Pakistan’s air space on the pretext of false flag Pulwama attack,” he added.

In their statements, the president and prime minister of Azad Kashmir said February 27 was “a nightmare for India” as the PAF responded befittingly to Indian aggression, APP reported.

President Barrister Sultan Mehmood warned India that any “misadventure” in future will have similar “disastrous consequences”. The prime minister, Tanveer Ilyas, added that the PAF displayed exemplary professionalism and upheld national pride on this day, four years ago.

Published in Dawn, February 28th, 2023