This study explores the mechanism for timely and equitable distribution of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) vaccination among the various communities in Pakistan. It examines the factors that support and/or impede peoples' access and response towards COVID‐19 vaccination in Pakistan. The study uses a literature synthesis approach to examine and analyze the situation of the COVID‐19 vaccination in Pakistan. The research results show “hesitancy” and “inequality” as two fundamental challenges that hinder the successful delivery of COVID‐19 vaccination in Pakistan. People are reluctant to use vaccines due to conspiracy theories and religious beliefs. However, inequality, especially unequal accessibility to all social groups appears to be a more significant barrier to getting a vaccine. We argue that there is a need to mobilize community influence, social media, and mass media campaigns for public education on vaccination programs along with the engagement of religious leaders to endorse the vaccination for the masses. The area of this study is underdeveloped; thereby, future studies are recommended to investigate the possible way for equitable distribution of vaccines in multiple regions.

The study’s purpose is to systematically review the scholarly literature about disinformation on social media, a space with enhanced concerns about nurturing propaganda and conspiracies. The systematic review methodology was applied to analyze 264 peer-reviewed articles published from 2010 to 2020, extracted from the Web of Science core collection database. Descriptive and bibliometric analysis techniques were used to document the findings. The analysis revealed an increase in the trend of publishing disinformation on social media and its impact on users’ cognitive responses from 2017 onwards. The USA appears to be the most influential node with its more significant role in advancing research on disinformation. The content analysis identified five psychosocial and political factors: influencing individual users’ perceptions, providing easy access to radicalism using personality profiles, social media use to influence political opinions, lack of critical social media literacies, and hoax flourish disinformation. Our research shows a knowledge gap in how disinformation directly shapes communal psychosocial narratives. We highlight the need for future research to explore and examine the antecedents, consequences, and impact of disinformation on social media and how it affects citizens’ cognition, critical thinking, and well-being.

The purpose of this study is to synthesize the literature relating to radicalization on social media, a space with enhanced concerns about nurturing propaganda and conspiracies for violent extremism. Through the systematic review of 82 peer-reviewed studies related to radicalization through social media published in scholarly journals, this paper evidence the growth of robust studies on the usage of social media for radicalization. Nonetheless, the current work hardly discusses the radicalization issues through social media and reveals an increasing trend of publication from 2017 with a major contribution from the USA, Germany, and England. The thematic analysis indicated determinants of radicalization and the mitigation measures for the deradicalization of content on social media. However, the knowledge gap persists to understand the effects of radicalization in the different regional settings and further framing of content specific to target populations. Individuals must have the critical social media literacy to counteract the rising radicalization through social media. Individual users’ political interests are key factors in their radicalization such as citizens losing faith in the government and political parties. Active rather than passive searchers of violent radical material are more likely to engage in political violence. The results indicate that further research using experimental design, grounded theory, and pilot interventions may be relevant to suggest a solution to mitigate radicalization on social media.

Religion and spirituality have been key coping mechanisms of Pakistani Muslims amidst natural calamities such as the COVID-19 pandemic. This study aimed to identify and explore the role of religion and spirituality in the recovery of COVID-19 patients in lower socioeconomics. The data for this qualitative research study were collected from 13 people in Pakistan who survived COVID-19 infection during the wave of the Omicron variant. The participants of this study referenced four key themes about their story of getting infected by COVID-19 and recovering from it and referenced religion and spirituality as an overarching aspect of that story. The patients who recovered believed that COVID-19 was a punishment from God for sinful humanity, which was unavoidable. Amidst such a belief, the studied patients tried to avoid hospitalization but prayed to God for mercy, forgiveness, and help in their recovery. A few who took medical treatment also established and/or strengthened their spiritual connections seeking quick recovery from the infection. The participants of this study believed that their religion or spirituality played a medicinal role in their recovery from COVID-19 infection.

The Taliban 2.0 in Afghanistan took the world by surprise. This article investigates how this event was seen differently in varied contexts, such as neighboring Pakistan. Our research shows epistemological pluralism in Pakistan, i.e. how different groups use different ways of knowing (epistemology), being (ontology), and valuing (axiology) to explain and analyze Taliban 2.0. Conceptually, the paper draws on insights from the relationality theory to demonstrate the reasons behind such epistemological pluralism. The theory of relationality provides the grounds for epistemological pluralism, i.e. the mixed sentiments and feelings among respondents about the Taliban 2.0 in Afghanistan. Our research reports the perspectives of nine selected civil society activists about Taliban 2.0 in Afghanistan and its implications for Pakistan. The respondents were interviewed during the second quarter of the Taliban administering Afghanistan. Some called it the victory of Islam, the freedom of Afghans from foreign occupation, and the protection of the Pakistani border from Indian proxies. Others were worried about the risks of increased extremism and terrorism in Pakistan, including the rise of banned organizations like Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan. This study intends to document the interviewee civil society activists’ suggestions to the State of Pakistan for dealing with Taliban-ruled Afghanistan.

The issue of holy cows in India has gained significant importance on social media and connects with the political dilemma between Hindus and Muslims. This paper discusses political discourse and people’s dark shades of emotion on social media to cow vigilante violence in India. It elaborates legislation differences on cow slaughter, historical and political aspects of cow vigilante violence against Muslim and Dalit minorities in India. Drawing from literature, the vigilante groups in India use social media platforms to disseminate content on cow vigilantism and publicize spectacles for political benefits. Social activists who support political leaders play a vital role in spreading the cow vigilante violence content through end-to-end encrypted social media apps to create turbulent situations among vulnerable communities. The situation analysis of cow vigilante violence shows that the Hindu nationalists perpetuate violence against Muslims in retribution of perceived historic harm caused by the Muslim rulers of subcontinent India. This paper has identified restorative justice theories that could guide the transformation of cow vigilante violence situation factors into peaceful coexistence of Hindus and Muslims in India. Further, Galtung’s peace model added value to ensure the functionality of peacebuilding, peacemaking, and peacekeeping among Hindus, Muslims, and Dalit minorities in India.