Fighting against the information on fake spreading concerning federal institutions has been allocated another Rs 2 billion to the federal government. This decision was made at the Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) meeting presided by Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb.
The Ministry of Finance said that Rs.1.945 billion has been set aside for the disinformation campaign by the Ministry of Defence. Officials noted, “It is a growing concern, and there is an increasing tendency towards directing fake news towards disestablishing state institutions for political purposes.”
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In fact, Army Chief General Asim Munir has called for taking a serious view of such propaganda and making someone accountable.
During the ECC meeting, it was noted that ISPR stands at the helm of the effort to counter false narratives. Therefore, it requires technological upgrades to enhance her capabilities to effectively counter advanced tools of disinformation.
The ECC approved that the amount be released immediately, whereby Rs. 1.22 billion goes to tech upgrades, while Rs. 723 million goes to cyber security improvements. However, this will also have annual recurring costs of Rs. 1.6 billion for the subsequent budget next fiscal year.