By Riaz Narijo
DADU: Senior civil and security officials in Jamshoro district have called for closer coordination between state institutions, universities and the media to promote patriotism and strengthen what they described as a positive national narrative, amid growing concern over misinformation and anti-state propaganda.
The call came at a high-level meeting held on Tuesday at the deputy commissioner’s office in Jamshoro, chaired by Deputy Commissioner Ghazanfar Ali Qadri. The gathering brought together representatives from law enforcement, academia, government departments, the media and local business groups.
Among those present were SSP Jamshoro Muhammad Zafar Siddique Chhanga, Additional Deputy Commissioner-I Babar Khan Nizamani, Additional Deputy Commissioner-II Dr Adnan Munir Tanio, registrars from Sindh Mehran University, Liaquat University of Medical and Health Sciences (LUMHS) and Shaheed Allah Bux University, as well as officials from the education, social welfare, culture and information departments. Media representatives and civil society figures, including Kotri Trade Association president Khalil Baloch and press club leaders from Jamshoro and Sehwan, also attended.
Addressing the meeting, Qadri said that effective collaboration across institutions was essential in the current environment to highlight fact-based national narratives and counter material that undermined the state. He stressed that every sector — from education to media — had a responsibility to play its part.
He urged electronic, print and digital media outlets to take a constructive role in discouraging fake news, promoting responsible journalism and upholding the rule of law. In this context, he directed the information department to prepare detailed lists of registered journalists and social media reporters, and to submit a report aimed at improving the credibility and quality of news dissemination in the district.
The deputy commissioner also instructed press club presidents, in coordination with the information department, to remove unregistered social media reporters from WhatsApp news groups, saying that limiting such platforms to registered journalists would help maintain professional standards, accountability and public trust.
Turning to education, Qadri asked university registrars and education officials to organise seminars and awareness programmes focused on patriotism, national narratives and media literacy. He said such initiatives were necessary to equip young people with the skills to distinguish between reliable information and fake news.
The meeting also agreed on new administrative measures for university campuses, deciding that cafeterias and all hotels operating within university premises across Jamshoro would be required to close by midnight. Relevant officials were directed to ensure strict enforcement of the decision.
