Staff Reporter
Special Assistant to the Prime Minister for Information and Broadcasting Dr. Firdous Ashiq Awan said that youth is the real asset of Pakistan and National University of Modern Languages (NUML) is not only empowering youth but equipping them to fight against fifth generation hybrid warfare. She expressed these views while speaking on the inaugural session of 2-Day National Conference on “Media as a Soft Power in the 21st Century” as chief guest. The conference was organized by the Mass Communication Department NUML. Rector NUML Major General (Retd) Muhammad Jaffar, Director General NUML Brig Muhammad Ibrahim, Deans, Directors, heads of departments, participants from various universities from Pakistan, guests, faculty members and large number of students attended the session.
Dr. Firdous said that media plays essential role in shaping international diplomacy and media also plays pivotal role in safeguarding national interest and national security. She said that government consider media as a fourth pillar of state and to address the issues of mediamen government has decided to establish a media university. She ensured that recommendations of this conference would be included in the charter of Media University.
Rector NUML Major General (Retd) Muhammad Jaffar in his speech said that NUML is proud to host this conference which in its own way addresses a very pertinent and contemporary issue. In the present age of media warfare, the nations with weaker media strategies are highly vulnerable to the forces of propaganda, misinformation as well as disinformation. Today, we are facing the battles of discourses and wars of narratives. These wars are exceedingly more subtle and more delicate than the armed conflict and open military standoffs. Such wars are fought in the virtual and simulated battlefields of media. He thanked the chief guest and all the worthy speakers. It is important to mention that 70 papers on different aspects of media will be presented in the conference by the research scholars across the country.
