The Malicious Agenda Behind Targeting DUHS and DG ISPR

In the digital age, where information travels faster than verification, the line between legitimate criticism and malicious propaganda is often deliberately blurred. The recent discourse surrounding the interactive session between the Director General Inter-Services Public Relations (DG ISPR) Lt General Ahmed Shareef Chaudhry and the students of Dow University of Health Sciences (DUHS) on November 20, 2025, offers a textbook example of this dangerous phenomenon. What was a routine, constructive institutional engagement has been targeted by a “propaganda factory” aimed not at uncovering truth, but at manufacturing outrage.

At the heart of this manufactured storm are vloggers and social media personalities, including individuals like Tariq Mateen, who disseminated a specific narrative: that the university had resorted to coercion, threatening to deduct five marks from students who failed to attend the session. These claims, circulated with feigned moral outrage, painted a picture of an administration bullying its students into submission and a military establishment forcing its presence upon the youth.

However, facts — stubborn as they are — tell a different story.

The administration of Dow University has issued a vehement, categorical denial of these allegations. There was no directive for compulsory attendance, nor was there any order regarding the deduction of marks. The University officials have termed these rumors as “false, misleading,” and completely fabricated. By proactively clarifying the situation and warning of disciplinary proceedings against those spreading this disinformation, DUHS has exposed the hollowness of the accusations. The narrative peddled by these digital opportunists was never about student welfare; it was a calculated attempt to create a controversy where none existed.

One must ask: what is the motivation behind such virulent campaigns?

It appears that for certain elements, any positive interaction between the state’s institutions, particularly the Armed Forces, and the country’s youth is a source of anxiety. The session at DUHS was part of a larger, healthy initiative to foster direct dialogue between leadership and the future professionals of Pakistan. Eye-witness accounts and feedback from the session suggest it was successful, with students engaging in critical thinking and discussion on current affairs.

Yet, the propagandists chose to ignore the substance of the dialogue and instead focused on a lie. This is a pattern of behavior where “vested interest persons” utilize social media platforms to seek viewership and monetization at the cost of national cohesion. By casting aspersions on a renowned educational institution like DOW and attacking the state, these individuals sow seeds of discord. They attempt to create a psychological rift between educators, students, and the state machinery, falsely presenting themselves as champions of rights while acting as architects of chaos.

The damage done by such fake news is not merely reputable; it is societal. When “influencers” attack the sacred profession of education to score political points against the Army, they degrade the integrity of the entire system. They trivialize the genuine efforts of institutions trying to broaden the horizons of their students.

It is commendable that DUHS has taken a firm stand, refusing to be bullied by digital mob tactics. Their readiness to initiate legal and disciplinary action against the purveyors of these lies is a necessary step. Freedom of speech is a constitutional right, but the deliberate manufacturing of fake news to incite hatred and defame institutions is a crime against the social fabric.

It is high time that this machinery of hate is dismantled. The public must learn to distinguish between journalism and agitation, between news and noise. The engagement between the state and its youth must continue, unhampered by the desperate flailing of those who profit from division. Accountability for these baseless campaigns is the only way to ensure that the truth remains the ultimate victor in the war of narratives.