Pakistan’s security challenges are no longer confined to land, sea and air but they now exist in a battlefield made of words, images and code. In todays world or 21st century, wars are not only fought with tanks and guns but mainly they are fought over information as compared to the 20th century when wars were only fought over resources, land or ideological differences. Pakistan lies at the center of this deadly & dangerous transformation as it poses challenges & threatens country’s economy, national defenses, nations credibility& political stability.
The battlefield has now shifted to cyberspace and for Pakistan, a country with increasing number of internet users, cyber threats poses great challenges not only for the country but also to its people. One striking incident is of the disinformation campaign uncovered by the EU Disinfo Lab, which shows Pakistan’s vulnerability in this new battlefield. The 2020 EU Disinfo La report exposed a extensive & sprawling Indian disinformation campaign, which serve as an eye-opening reminder for Pakistan that how fake disinformation campaigns can damage country’s image & target its credibility. This disinformation campaign was a well planned & carefully executed campaign which was backed by state actors, politicians and other strong institutions. This campaign included spreading false stories, fabricated reports & manipulated images across social media platforms to create an unreliable, erratic and untrustworthy image of Pakistan internationally.
Pakistan has over 120 million mobile broadband users & 54% population online , which has made Pakistan more connected, as it has created opportunities but at the same time it has made Pakistan more vulnerable. Pakistan is not the only country facing this challenge but similar campaigns have been seen in other countries like United States, Europe, African nation all of them have faced these cybersecurity challenges, which are harder to control & urgent to address.
The report called “Indian Chronicles” by EU, a European organization that fight fake news, exposed a 15 years long campaign by India, which was spreading fake news to defame Pakistan globally, it included 750 fake news websites and fake organizations across 119 countries to damage Pakistan’s image as these sites looked so real & authentic but they were fake & designed in a way to spread false news about Pakistan to influence international organizations like United Nation, this shows how far some actors can go to harm Pakistan image& reputation using digital technology & internet. These cyber threats have severe consequences like they can damage country’s reputation, cause internal divide, can lead to financial or economic loses & threatens national security. As Pakistan’s many institutions lack tools, laws, trained staff and its cyber security systems are still developing, which makes it more harder for Pakistan too deal with these cybersecurity challenges.
In order to tackle these cyber threats and to safeguard against future threats & incidents, Pakistan needs to develop a smart plan and think beyond conventional cybersecurity measures. Firstly, Pakistan should strengthen its digital defense system and build better systems to protect its critical digital infrastructure like government websites, banks and financial institutions from hackers and data thefts. Most important steps include educating public & spreading awareness among people regarding how to spot fake news and think critically. Create a team like EU Disninfo lab to counter false & fake news. Pakistan needs to update its cyber laws, imposing harsh punishments & brutal consequences for those who spread false information and lies, Prevention of Electonic crimes Act (PECA) should be made more stronger & fair. In order to counter false narrative, Pakistan should share its own positive stories through social media, diplomacy and international news to enhance its national image globally.
Its time for Pakistan to take cyber challenges seriously as internet has both positive and negative outcomes, it all depends on how you handle it , if internet is handled properly and carefully it can become a powerful tool and turns into a strength but if not handled carefully it can become dangerous & turns into a weakness which leads to negative consequences for the nation. The Disinfo lab reports show that this incident is not just another story of India-Pakistan rivalry or tensions but its a warning about the digital threats to the world and strong international norms against state sponsored disinformation are need of the time to tackle such cyber challenges. In cyberspace, the lies spread faster than the truth , and their damage lingers. Pakistan must act now as its future depends on winning this silent battle and with right steps it can protect its people, economy and image.
