KARACHI:
Pakistan is experiencing several challenges including governance failures, deep social division, economic meltdown, and deteriorating law and order. Unfortunately, the political conflicts seem irreconcilable amidst deep distrust and rigidity among political forces. Political battles have now shifted to social media platforms as political parties aim to attract tech-savvy young voters.
They craft and propagate narratives on social media to widen their vote bank. A lack of critical thinking skills among the youth stemming from poor quality of education has allowed parties to propagate their biased narratives. People are falling victim to frivolous social media campaigns against party opponents and key institutions.
Resultantly, national institutions have lost credibility in the public eye. This political infighting has raised governance challenges as well. Some reports suggest that the country’s hostile enemies have increased their presence on social media to malign national institutions by taking advantage of deep social divisions. The government must devise a mechanism to fact-check and regulate content on social media. Additionally, political parties need to act responsibly and avoid promulgating malicious propaganda on social media.
Asad Aziz
Khushab
Published in The Express Tribune, April 29th, 2023.
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