From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
This article is about the Pakistani directorate. For the Bangladeshi directorate, see Inter-Service Public Relations (Bangladesh).
Inter-Services Public Relations
ISPR logo.jpg
Abbreviation ISPR
Formation 1947
Legal status Active
Headquarters Rawalpindi
Region served
Pakistan
Official language
Urdu
English
Director-General
Lt.Gen Asim-Salim Bajwa, PA
Parent organization
Pakistan Armed Forces
Website www.ispr.gov.pk
The Inter-Services Public Relations (Urdu: بین الخدماتی تعلقات عامہ; Reporting name:ISPR), is in principle, an administrative military media brand of Pakistan Army to broadcast and coordinate military news and information to the country's civilian media and the civic society.[1]
The ISPR directorate serves the purpose of aiming to strengthen public relations with the civic society, through interacting with the media.[1] The directorate also works as the principle voice of the Pakistan's military, with its director-general serving as the official spokesperson of the armed forces.[1] In addition, the ISPR provides fund, productions, and assists with the military fiction franchise– both military dramas and the war films.[2] As of its current, Lt-General Asim Saleem Bajwa is serving ISPR's director-general, appointed on 4 June 2012.[3][4][5][6]
Contents [hide]
1 Overview
2 Operations
3 Principal media network
4 Media production
5 List of ISPR Directors General
6 See also
7 References
8 External links
Overview[edit]
The Directorate of the Inter–Services Public Relations (ISPR) was established in 1949 with army colonel Shahbaz Khan becoming its first director-general.[1] The ISPR operates as a unified public relations system for the Pakistan's military, which combined army, air force, navy, and marines.[1] The ISPR manage the public relations requirement of the armed forces, and is staff with the combined personnel of the military along with civilian officers.[1] It functions at the Joint Staff Headquarters (JS HQ) and plays an important role for gathering a national support for the armed forces at the public level.[1] The ISPR also strengthened support for the military's assigned contingency operations while undermining the will of the adversary.[1]
In views of US army colonel John Adache, the ISPR interfaces between the armed forces, civil media, and the civic society.[1] Furthermore, the ISPR also formulates the media policy of the unified armed forces, safeguards the military interests of the armed forces from negative influence, and monitors international and domestic media reporting regarding its military issues.[1]
On regular basis, the ISPR broadcasts the televised news regarding the strategic arsenals testings, contingency operations and military exercises— both at foreign and domestic areas. In Pakistan's military staff appointments and assignments, the ISPR is one of the most prestigious directorate of Pakistan Armed Forces.[1]
Its executive authority, a director-general, is a chief military spokesperson of the Pakistan Armed Forces who reports to Chairman of Joint Chiefs of Staff Secretariat; Chief of Army Staff as well the head also directly report to Chief of Air Staff, Commandant of Marines, and the Chief of Naval Staff.[1]
While often accused of using murder, bribery and intimidation to control the Pakstani media, ISPR has denied such allegations, for example in response to allegations that the Pakistani military was behind an attempted assaniation of prominent Pakistani TV figure Hamid Mir, ISPR issued the following press release, " Press Release No PR82/2014-ISPR Dated: April 19, 2014 Rawalpindi - April 19, 2014: A Spokesman of ISPR condemned the incident of firing on senior anchor Hamid Mir, prayed for his well being and quick recovery. The spokesman said that an independent inquiry must immediately be carried out to ascertain facts. However raising allegations against ISI or head of ISI without any basis is highly regrettable and misleading, said spokesman of ISPR." [7]
Operations[edit]
The ISPR directorate is staffed with combined personnel of Pakistan's unified military along with civilian bureaucrats and officials.[8] The ISPR functioned at the JS HQ and responsible for garnering national support for the armed forces as well as strengthen their resolve to accomplish the assigned mission while undermining the will of the adversary.
It also acts as an interface between the armed forces, the media and the public.[8] It formulates much of the media policy of Pakistan's military, safeguards the armed forces from negative influences and monitors both international and domestic media.
It is likely that the army is planning the further expansion of ISPR to counter negative propaganda against the state and armed forces by international powers and their funded domestic media campaigns, in ongoing operation against terror outfits and economic terrorism. That's why, for the first time in its history ISPR is being led by a three-star general,
