ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Minister for Religious Affairs Pir Noorul Haq Qadri claimed on Tuesday that Israel’s secret service, Mossad, was trying to spread sectarianism in Pakistan by using fake social media accounts.
“A female Mossad operative in Israel is spreading sectarian material in Pakistan by using a fake account,” he told a gathering organized by the Council of Islamic Ideology in Islamabad to commemorate the National Minorities Day. “This woman identifies herself as Aisha, has good command of Arabic, and regularly shares sectarian material on social media.”
The minister did not provide further details, and Arab News could not independently verify his claim. However, he added that “ignorant people” using these platforms spread the material without considering its implications.
Addressing the event that focused on pluralism and sectarian harmony, he said that the government had organized the convention to raise awareness about this issue and request scholars and general public not to fall for the Israeli conspiracy.
“We have noticed that blasphemous material related to sacred religious personalities gets frequently distributed [on social media]. It’s all planned,” he warned.
“For four decades, the conspiracy to destabilize Pakistan along linguistic, religious and ethnic lines has failed,” Qadri said. “Now the last attempt is a conspiracy to spread riots among Shias, Sunnis, Barelvis, Deobandis and Salafis.”
The minister said that the Council of Islamic Ideology should introduce a “new national charter” to promote harmony and understanding among different sects.
“The Muttahida Ulema Board Punjab, Milli Yakjehti Council and Inter-Faith Harmony Committee have made separate efforts to eradicate sectarianism. The Council of Islamic Ideology should put all these efforts together in the form of a new national charter,” he added.
“The state will maintain its writ in any case,” Qadri continued. “It is unfortunate that administrative officials have been urging scholars to remain peaceful before the arrival of Muharram [the first month of the Islamic calendar] since scholars should do it themselves.”
Minister says Israel’s Mossad fueling sectarianism in Pakistan through social media
https://arab.news/pd5d9
Minister says Israel’s Mossad fueling sectarianism in Pakistan through social media
- Pir Noorul Qadri says a conspiracy is being hatched to destabilize Pakistan by creating riots among different sects
- The minister also urged the Council of Islamic Ideology to promote sectarian harmony in the country
Pakistan mulls 'Super App' for public services, document verification in major technology push
- Pakistan has been urging technology adoption in public, private sectors as it seeks to become a key tech player globally
- The country this month launched the Indus AI Week to harness technology for productivity, skills development and innovation
KARACHI: Pakistan is planning to launch a “Super App” to deliver public services and enable digital document verification, the country's information technology (IT) minister said on Sunday, amid a major push for technology adoption in public and private sectors.
Pakistan, a country of 240 million people, seeks to become a key participant in the global tech economy, amid growing interest from governments in the Global South to harness advanced technologies for productivity, skills development and innovation.
The country's information and communications technology (ICT) exports hit a record $437 million in Dec. last year, according to IT Minister Shaza Fatima Khawaja. This constituted a 23% increase month on month and a 26% increase year on year.
Pakistan's technology sector is also advancing in artificial intelligence (AI) and cloud computing, marked by the launch of Pakistan’s first sovereign AI cloud in November, designed to keep sensitive data domestic and support growth in the broader digital ecosystem.
“In developed countries, citizens can access all government services from a mobile phone,” Fatima said, announcing plans for the Super App at an event in Karachi where more than 7,000 students had gathered for an AI training entrance test as part of the ‘Indus AI Week.’
“We will strive to provide similar facilities in the coming years.”
Khawaja said the app will reduce the need for in-person visits to government offices such as the National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) and the Higher Education Commission (HEC).
The Indus AI Week initiative, which ran from Feb. 9 till Feb. 15. was aimed at positioning Pakistan as a key future participant in the global AI revolution, according to the IT minister.
At the opening of the weeklong initiative, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif announced that Pakistan would invest $1 billion in AI by 2030 to modernize the South Asian nation’s digital economy.
“These initiatives aim to strengthen national AI infrastructure and make the best use of our human resource,” Khawaja said, urging young Pakistanis to become creators, inventors and innovators rather than just being the consumers of technology.
