Pakistan’s Media, Soft Image, and The Global Lens

When it comes to the Pakistani entertainment industry, it is dominated by its television serials and music. Pakistani television serials are not just popular in South Asia and the Middle East but have global appeal. The same can be said about the country’s music scene. The country, however, does not have a specific channel or organization that promotes this or its culture through an unapologetic Pakistani lens.

Viewers from abroad rely on YouTube and Spotify to access Pakistani content or learn about Pakistan’s culture through the eyes of foreign vloggers. There is nothing wrong with that, but isn’t it time for Pakistan to tell its own story and in a language that the global world understands?

There are a lot of media organizations, such as newspapers, including Pakistan’s newspaper of record, Dawn, and websites like The Current, that distribute their content in English. However, the target audience is usually the English-speaking audience of Pakistan. Since 2025, three English language television news channels have been introduced: Express 24/7, Pakistan TV and Asia One. What sets these three news channels apart is that they cater to an international demographic. Their goal is to present Pakistan’s perspective to the world. This is contrary to what I wrote in 2018 for Asia Times about how English-language media in Pakistan has a limited audience and it would be hard for them to survive in Pakistan’s landscape. However, in recent years, the angle has shifted to focus on an international audience rather than Pakistan’s English-speaking demographic.

The perspective, however, mostly focuses on hard news concerning Pakistan. There are cultural programs as well that talk about the country’s culture, religion and history, but that is quite limited. What Islamabad currently needs is a network that promotes its soft image through films, television, lifestyle and culinary heritage.

In Pakistan’s media landscape, Discover Pakistan is the only television network that comes close to what is being referred to here, but since it’s an Urdu language television channel, the target audience is an Urdu speaking audience, mainly who reside in Pakistan.

I have come across many international news networks and their primary focus is on international news. Al Jazeera English, while a globally reputed television news network, covers primarily international news. Seldom would one see anything promoting Qatar’s culture. Japan’s NHK World comes closer to what I’m referring to here.

What sets NHK World apart from most international news channels is that the audience gets to learn about Japan’s culture while at the same time covering news from a Japanese perspective. Having said that, I would still argue that the Pakistani network I’m referring to should probably not focus on hard news at all. Instead, it could focus only on the country’s culture through different programs and segments.

We treat the media as the fourth pillar of the state, but I have this feeling that our media organizations, when thinking about this, promote Pakistan’s perspective through international news channels only, at least at the moment. It would be better if the government considers this initiative too. In order to promote the country’s soft image, Pakistan needs a network that focuses on the story of the country and its people. If Islamabad takes an interest in this angle, then it is definitely feasible.