Rehman laments weaponisation of fake news
Federal Minister for Climate Change and Environmental Coordination Senator Sherry Rehman unveils the country’s first-ever National Adaptation Plan in Islamabad on July 26, 2023. PHOTO: EXPRESS/FILE
Senior Pakistan People Party (PPP) leader Senator Sherry Rehman said on Wednesday that violent extremism was a struggle for power, and that many redlines had been crossed by the proliferation of hateful narratives.
Speaking at the launch of a research report titled 'Beyond the Red Line: Contemporary Trends in Conflict Discourse in Pakistan’, Rehman lamented the weaponisation of fake news for personal interests.
Rehman, also a former federal minister, stated hateful narratives had gone beyond extremist and violent groups, rather it was being shaped by political forces as well through currency of anger and hate, as seen in online trolling.
Rehman spoke at the launch of a research report titled 'Beyond the Red Line: Contemporary Trends in Conflict Discourse in Pakistan' by Communications Research Strategies (CRS) here, said a news release.
The report is prepared under the 'Conflict Discourse Mapping', a project by the Communications Research Strategies (CRS), with support from the United States Institute of Peace (USIP).
In the address of welcome CRS CEO Aniq Zafar expressed the hope that the insights gleaned from this investigation would help design strategies to counteract violence and extremism.