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The research article investigates the role of the news media and specifically electronic media since 2005, which has emerged as a strong force in Pakistan in the past decade and, under certain circumstances, shapes public policymaking in Pakistan. Media across the world is seen as a tool to shape public narratives and influence policymakers in crafting policies that adhere to the interest and welfare of the general public. Electronic media has emerged as a powerful medium of communication in Pakistan, even though its political decision-making role has mainly been ignored. The independence of electronic media in Pakistan is highly debatable; the emergence of private news channels has a relatively short span of age. Before the emergence of a broad spectrum of electronic media channels, a single state-owned news channel existed, and information flow was highly controlled. The influx of news channels made the news media landscape in Pakistan highly vibrant from 2005 onwards. During the Musharraf regime in Pakistan, the mushroom growth of electronic channels was witnessed, which made media the fourth pillar of the state. During the same rule, electronic media in Pakistan started influencing public policies and narratives and saw sanctions imposed by the same ruler. In Pakistan, electronic media played a more significant role in influencing public opinion, policies, and views that compel policymakers to draft policies accordingly. The public was made aware of their rights as citizens and reacted to government policies and current political happenings. Interestingly not just in Pakistan, but the international academia as well has not paid much attention to the media's influence on public policymaking. There is limited scholarly literature available as not much focus has been given to how media influences policymaking. This research article using a Foucauldian lens on "power-knowledge" will specifically examine how certain media groups in Pakistan have impacted policymaking and have played a significant role in major political happenings, which have directly impacted Pakistan's public policies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, researchers and policymakers began to pay attention to the expected number of out-of-school children and emerging learning crises in developed countries, where self-isolation, social distancing, and access to education through technology are possible on a wide scale. Within the region of South Asia, and among the impoverished communities of Bangladesh, India and Pakistan, this situation is quite the opposite, where millions of people still live below the poverty line, and technology-driven education is not yet a privilege. Despite the utmost commitment to provide free and quality education to all, the three nation-states prioritised healthcare over other businesses, delaying the policy response to the educational and learning crises. In this paper, the authors examine the policy responses from each country and conclude that inequities are not being adequately addressed, and that remote learning initiatives are not producing comparable results to prepandemic learning. The authors suggest that to make education accessible, equitable, and to improve student learning outcomes, the countries need to invest in school leader capacity building, and strengthening of the technology infrastructure and resources [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]