Pakistan is set to launch a joint television channel with Malaysia and Turkey. Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Fawad Chaudhry revealed the news while speaking to the media during the Organization of Islamic Council (OIC) summit.
Fawad Chaudhry said the joint tv channel will help tackle issues of extremism in Pakistan, Malaysia, and Turkey. Important to note, the idea of a joint tv channel first floated in 2019 when PM Khan announced the decision.
He announced it after his trilateral meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and former Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly in New York. The countries launched the initiative to fight the phenomenon of Islamophobia internationally.
Read more: Who leads fight against Islamophobia? Pakistan or Turkey?!
As for the recent updates on the initiative, Fawad Chaudhry announced that countries already named their focal media persons.
“Focal persons have been named for media sharing, and the joint media network will be formed,” he said talking to media in Islamabad.
https://twitter.com/FawadPTIUpdates/status/1472523022724747264?s=20
Furthermore, Fawad Chaudhry stated that an OIC platform should include a unit of scholars to provide counsel on religious matters. Additionally, the Minister also revealed that Pakistan will establish an organization like Rehmat-ul-Alamin under the OIC.
Pak-Turk drama series
In a bid to promote historical Islamic content, Pakistan and Turkey, earlier this year announced a period drama on the life of Salahuddin Ayyubi. Consequently, Pakistan’s Ansari and Shah Films and Turkey’s Akli Films signed a contract to jointly produce the series.
Sultan Salahuddin al-Ayubi was a great Muslim warrior and ruler of Egypt and Syria, popular for recapturing Jerusalem from the Crusaders in 1187.
Prior to this, production firms from Pakistan and Turkey also announced to jointly produce a historical series on Turk Lala, a renowned figure of the sub-continent who played an integral part in the Khilafat Movement.
Read more: Pakistan, Turkey to jointly produce series on Salahuddin al-Ayubi
Such initiatives are indeed welcoming as they will help bring the countries closer together. The joint tv channel will also help promote factually correct information regarding Islam. The three-nation channel will offer Muslims a dedicated media presence. Both Turkey and Pakistan frequently underscore the need for effective measures against incidents of discrimination facing Muslims in Western countries.