Blog

• Attaullah Tarar highlights growing threat amid use of AI for false propaganda
• Law minister confirms ban on land pilgrimage to Iran and Iraq temporary, prompted by rising terrorism threats, says restriction will be lifted in ‘a few days’
• Eight lawmakers disqualified, including opposition leader

ISLAMABAD: As the blackout of opposition in the National Assembly continued on the state-run TV and the assembly’s official YouTube channel, the government on Friday sought opposition’s help in dealing with the challenge of misinformation, disinformation and fake news.

Speaking in the National Assembly, Minister for Information and Broadcasting Attaullah Tarar said the situation had become more complicated after the introduction and growing use of artificial intelligence to spread false propaganda.

He noted that global leaders, when asked at the World Economic Forum about the greatest threat of our time, identified misinformation and disinformation—not nuclear warfare or climate change—as the biggest concern.

“Nobody mentioned nuclear warfare or climate change as the greatest threat of our generation”, he remarked.

He further said the Ministry of Information had no digital footprint before he took over as minister and was still operating under the rules framed in 1970s.

Mr Tarar said the rules were amended to establish the country’s first digital communication department.

“We introduced Artificial Intelligence technology and are using advanced software to detect misleading content. Once identified, such material is labelled and disseminated as fake,” he explained.

However, he emphasised that this alone was not sufficient and that national cohesion was necessary to effectively counter the issue.

He, however, said this single step was not enough and a national cohesion was required to effectively deal with the issue. “It would be falsehood to claim we have brought about a revolution”, he remarked.

The information minister then proposed formation of a special house committee to make recommendations on how to counter misinformation and disinformation.

“I invite the opposition to join and help the government on the issue. “If the committee is able to come up with practicable recommendations, the credit will go to this House— and to you”, he said while addressing National Assembly Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq.

The Speaker, however, suggested that the matter be taken up by the information committee and noted that all interested members were welcome to join.

‘Land travel ban temporary’

Meanwhile, Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar stated that the ban on land travel for pilgrimage to Iran and Iraq was a temporary measure.

He further said the spike in terrorism had necessitated the ban, which he said would be lifted in a ‘few days’ once the law and order situation improves.

He also told the House that arrangements were being made to facilitate those who had already reached the border.

He further said that the state minister for interior will make a comprehensive statement on the issue in the House on Monday.

Eight lawmakers disqualified

Earlier, the session started with an annou­ncement by the Speaker about the disqualification of eight members of the House, including Opposition Leader Omar Ayub Khan.

The Speaker refused to give the floor to the opposition lawmakers who wanted to speak after the announcement, saying points of order were not allowed before question hour.

A PTI lawmaker raised the issue of illegal confinement of members of a family, including women and children in Karachi. He said he had received a call from a woman who claimed that Head Constable Nabi Gul was murdered in 2021 and that his son avenged his death.

Following this, several family members, including the mother, widowed sister and two children, were allegedly picked up and had been held in illegal confinement for a week.

“In the name of humanity, I urge PPP and other stakeholders to help secure their release”, the PTI lawmaker appealed.

Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq, acknowledging the seriousness of the matter as a human rights concern, requested PPP leader Syed Naveed Qamar to raise the issue with the Sindh government.

Later, proceedings had to be adjourned after quorum was pointed out and it was determined the House was not in order.

Published in Dawn, August 9th, 2025

ISLAMABAD: The Pakis­tan Airports Authority (PAA) has lost Rs4.1 billion in just over two months after closing its airspace to Indian-registered aircraft, the Ministry of Defence informed the National Assembly on Friday.

The ministry said the shortfall, from April 24 to June 30, was in overflying revenue and was lower than the reported Rs8.5bn. The closure followed India’s unilateral suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty on April 23.

From the very next day, Pakistan withdrew overflight permission for all Indian-registered aircraft and those operated, owned, or leased by Indian carriers.

The measure affected 100 to 150 Indian aircraft daily, cutting transit traffic by almost 20 per cent. In 2019, a similar closure led to an estimated Rs7.6bn ($54m) revenue loss, compared to $100m previously reported.

Islamabad airport airspace to close daily for two hours until Aug 14

The ministry apprised the parliament that such decisions, under the jurisdiction of the federal government, were issued through Notices to Airmen (NOTAMs) and carried strategic and diplomatic weight to safeguard civilians, protect infrastructure, and allow military planning.

Sovereignty, defence

“While financial losses occur, sovereignty and national defence take precedence over economic considerations,” the statement read.

The PAA’s average daily overflight revenue in 2019, before tensions, was $508,000, compared to $760,000 in 2025.

The ministry made it clear that the amounts reflected “revenue shortfalls, not overall financial losses”, and noted that overflight and aeronautical charges remained unchanged, demonstrating resilience and avoiding tariff hikes or government bailouts.

Pakistan’s airspace is open to all except Indian airlines and aircraft till last week of August after the ban was extended twice on a monthly basis. Similarly, Pakistani carriers remain banned from Indian airspace. “When safeguarding sovereignty and security, no price is too high,” the ministry reiterated.

Islamabad flights

Separately, Islamabad International Airport’s airspace will be closed daily for two hours until August 14 for operational reasons, according to NOTAM A0510/25. Departures and arrivals will be halted from ground level to FL210, affecting flights to Lahore and northern areas.

The airspace will remain closed from 11am to 1pm.

On Friday, the temporary closure caused minor delays, with hundreds of passengers facing changes to their travel plans. The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) said all immigration counters were fully staffed and operational, processing 2,847 passengers from 12 international flights in three hours.

A sudden schedule change led to many passengers departing at the same time. FIA Immigration completed screening and clearance in line with regulations and pledged to maintain efficient services while continuing efforts against human trafficking and wanted suspects.

Mohammad Asghar also contributed to this report

Published in Dawn, August 9th, 2025

• ISPR says large cache of weapons recovered; president, PM praise armed forces’ swift, precise action
• FC man martyred in Bannu quadcopter strike; three hideouts destroyed, seven held in clearance operation
• Mobile data service suspended in Balochistan due to security concerns

QUETTA / LAKKI MARWAT: Security forces foiled an infiltration attempt by militants from Afghanistan into Pakistan, killing 33 terrorists in the Sambaza area of Balochistan’s Zhob district on Friday, the military’s media wing said.

According to Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), a large group of militants from the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), referred to as the “Indian proxy Fitna al-Khawarij”, attempted to cross the Pakistan-Afghanistan border on the night of Aug 7 and 8. The group was detected by security personnel in the Sambaza area.

The ISPR said troops effectively engaged and thwarted the infiltration attempt. As a result of “precise, bold and skilful engagement, 33 Indian-sponsored Khaw­arij” were eliminated. A large cache of weapons, ammunition and explosives was recovered.

It stressed that Pakistan’s security forces “remain resolute and unwavering in their commitment to defend the nation’s frontiers and to eradicate the menace of Indian-sponsored terrorism from the country”.

Pakistan has witnessed an uptick in terror activities, especially in KP and Balochistan, after the TTP ended its ceasefire with the government in November 2022. The country ranked second in the Global Terrorism Index 2025.

Last month, 30 terrorists of an “Indian proxy” outfit were killed as they attempted to infiltrate through the Pak-Afghan border in Hassan Khel tehsil of KP’s North Waziristan district.

President Asif Ali Zardari on Friday praised the Pakistan Army for the successful operation in Zhob. In a statement, he lauded the courage, professionalism and timely action of the armed forces in defending the country’s borders.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif also paid tribute to the security forces, calling the operation “a remarkable success” in Pakistan’s ongoing fight against terrorism. “Our brave soldiers risked their lives to foil this infiltration attempt and crushed the nefarious designs of the terrorists,” he said in a statement issued by the Prime Minister’s Office.

Mobile data service suspended

Meanwhile, the government has suspended cell phone data services for three weeks in Baloc­histan in a bid to block communications among militants behind a surge in recent attacks, an official and the government said.

In an order on Wednesday seen by Reuters, the government said the services would be suspended until the end of the month because of the law and order situation in the province, which has 8.5 million cell phone subscribers.

“The service has been suspended because they (militants) use it for coordination and sharing information,” Shahid Rind, a spokesperson for the provincial government, said on Friday.

Soldier martyred in Bannu

A soldier of the Federal Constabulary embraced martyrdom and three others were injured in a quadcopter strike on a security post in Bannu district’s Takhtikhel Bakkakhel area on Friday.

A police official said militants from the Fitna al-Khawarij group carried out the attack by drop-ping ammunition from a quadcopter, which exploded on impact.

Two injured lance naiks were taken to the hospital for treatment.

Also on Friday, police and security forces destroyed three terrorist hideouts and arrested seven facilitators in a joint intelligence-based operation in the Havaid area of Bannu.

A police official said the operation, involving armoured personnel carriers, included a house-to-house search.

Security forces seized a loader rickshaw and two motorcycles from the hideouts.

Residents were asked to remain indoors during the operation and war­ned of legal action if they provided shelter or assistance to militants.

Published in Dawn, August 9th, 2025

GILGIT: The increasing water level in the Khunj­erab River washed away a portion of the Karakoram Highway (KKH) in the Murkhoon area of Gojal in Hunza on Friday, as flash floods triggered by rapidly melting glaciers, glacial lake outburst floods, landslides and cloudbursts continued to batter Gilgit-Baltistan.

The washing away of the KKH section disconnected road access between upper Gojal and the rest of Gilgit-Baltistan and cut off the main land route between Pakistan and China.

The KKH was later reopened to traffic via a temporary alternative route, GB government spokesperson Faizullah Faraq said. He added that the flow of water in rivers across the region has risen sharply, threatening further road blockages and damage in downstream areas.

“Due to the increase in the flow of water in rivers, the government has ban­ned boat operations and Section 144 is in force,” he said. A search is underway for tourists who went missing after a boat capsized in Skardu on Tuesday. “Action is being taken against those who take tourists out on lakes by boat despite the ban,” Mr Faraq added.

Meanwhile, two people were killed and two others injured when a landslide struck during restoration work on the Fairy Meadows road in Diamer district.

Mr Faraq said the victims, identified as Saddam Hussein and Nisar Bashir, were residents volunteering to reopen the road, which has been blocked since July 20 due to heavy flooding.

The injured, whose identities could not be immediately confirmed, were taken to the government hospital in Chilas.

In Hunza’s Gojal region, flooding from a melting glacier in Gulmit damaged public and private property.

According to the local administration, the flood destroyed crops, agricultural land, five irrigation channels, three wooden bridges, hundreds of trees and other infrastructure.

Mr Faraq added that the death toll from recent flood-related disasters in GB has reached 15, with six others injured. Restoration work on the KKH in Murkhoon, which was damaged by river erosion, is underway, while several houses in Has­sanabad Nallah, Hunza, remain at risk due to increased water flow from the Shishper Glacier.

In Shigar district, several acres of land have been submerged.

Officials say climate change-induced disasters have severely impacted the people of GB, which has faced relentless flooding from cloudbursts, glacial lake outburst floods (Glofs) and intense monsoon rains since June.

Published in Dawn, August 9th, 2025