Written By:Mahmood Khan
Published By: ANI News Agency
Warfare has changed dramatically. The battlefield of the twenty-first century is no longer confined to mountains, borders, airspace or seas. Information, social media, cyberspace, artificial intelligence and public opinion have become important arenas of strategic competition. This evolving environment is often described as fifth-generation warfare (5GW) or, more broadly, hybrid warfare.
For Pakistan, the issue is particularly significant because its large young population, rapidly expanding digital environment, regional tensions and political polarisation create both opportunities and vulnerabilities. Pakistan's National Cyber Security Policy 2021 and the National CERT framework demonstrate that cybersecurity is already recognised as a national-security concern.
The central feature of fifth-generation warfare is the attempt to influence perceptions. Instead of relying exclusively on military force, actors can use misinformation, disinformation, cyber attacks, manipulated videos, fake accounts, economic pressure and psychological operations to create confusion and distrust. Social media allows information to travel instantly, while artificial intelligence makes it increasingly easy to produce convincing manipulated audio, photographs and videos.
Pakistan's major challenges
The first challenge is disinformation and misinformation. False information can spread faster than verified news, particularly during political crises, elections, terrorist incidents or military tensions. Pakistan's own authorities have identified information literacy and verification as important responses to this problem.
The second challenge is political and social polarisation. When society is already divided, misleading narratives can deepen disagreements between political groups, provinces, institutions and communities. A healthy democracy requires disagreement, but it also requires citizens to distinguish legitimate political debate from deliberately fabricated information.
Third is cybersecurity. Government departments, banks, businesses, media organisations and critical infrastructure are increasingly dependent on digital systems. Pakistan's National CERT has developed cybersecurity guidance covering areas including access control, data protection, incident response and critical infrastructure protection.
Fourth is the challenge of artificial intelligence and deepfakes. A fabricated video of a political leader, military official or public figure can potentially create confusion before journalists or authorities have time to verify it. The answer cannot simply be censorship; credible verification and rapid public communication are equally important.
Fifth is the pressure on journalism. Professional journalists have a crucial role in separating fact from propaganda. Pakistan's media environment therefore needs stronger fact-checking, digital-security training and ethical reporting, particularly during national-security crises.
How can Pakistan respond?
Pakistan needs a whole-of-society strategy rather than relying solely on security institutions. The first requirement is widespread media and digital literacy. Schools, universities and professional institutions should teach students how to identify manipulated content, verify sources and recognise emotionally charged propaganda.
Second, Pakistan should strengthen independent and professional fact-checking mechanisms. When false information appears, accurate information should be provided quickly, transparently and with evidence. Government communication should be credible enough that citizens can distinguish official facts from political messaging.
Third, cybersecurity investment must continue. Government agencies and critical infrastructure need strong authentication, regular security assessments, trained personnel and effective incident-response systems. Recent National CERT guidance stresses that cybersecurity is a shared responsibility rather than merely a technical problem.
Fourth, Pakistan needs stronger cooperation between government, technology companies, journalists, universities and civil society. The objective should be resilience rather than blanket control of the internet.
Finally, Pakistan must strengthen the foundations of social cohesion: constitutional institutions, rule of law, economic opportunity, education and trust in public institutions. A society confident in its institutions is harder to destabilise through fabricated narratives.
Fifth-generation warfare cannot be defeated by propaganda with counter-propaganda. Truth, credible institutions, educated citizens, professional journalism and resilient digital infrastructure are the stronger long-term defence. Pakistan's real challenge is therefore not merely to win an information battle, but to build a society in which false information finds less fertile ground. It is everyone’s responsibility to tackle such baseless and misleading news/propaganda and unite as a one nation. Pakistan is subject to more rigorously fifth war generation attacks than in the past due to the changing environment of the world and also due to its geopolitical position.
