In the wake of the protest march by PTI supporters towards Islamabad in late November, and the subsequent government crackdowns and controversy concerning the number of deaths said to have occurred at the march The Government of Pakistan has constituted a joint task force to tackle “fake news”.

 

The goal of the taskforce would be, according to the Prime Minister’s Office, to “identify individuals/groups and organisations involved in creating and spreading fake and misleading news surrounding political miscreants in Islamabad from Nov 24-27, 2024, including entire media campaign related to the issue.”

 

To be headed by the head of the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA), the taskforce will include at least eight members including the head of the FIA’s cybercrime division, Islamabad Police Chief, the IT director of the Ministry of Information Technology and Communication, the joint director of the Intelligence Bureau, and the joint secretaries of the Ministries of the Interior and Information, representatives from Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) and Military Intelligence.