DEFINING PAKISTAN’S NATIONAL IDENTITY IN POST 9/11 ERA: THE ROLE OF THE US AND INDIA

Abstract

The research attempts to show as to how Pakistan’s significant ‘others’ i.e. the US and India attempted to negatively construct Pakistan’s identity in the post 9/11 era. Through the theoretical lens of constructivism and discourse analysis of selected editorials, films, dramas and speeches the discursive construction of Pakistan’s identity by its significant ‘others’ has been brought to fore. They attempted to negatively construct Pakistan's identity by labeling it a ‘failed state, a ‘failing state’, a ‘rogue state’, a ‘garrison state’, a ‘terrorist state’, and so on. Both India and the US branded Pakistan as a hotbed of terrorism and exporter of terrorism, both countries attempted to vilify Pakistan’s nuclear program, Pakistan, army and ISI. The constructed representational identity of Pakistan as a hotbed and exporter of terrorism unleashed by the super power and the regional power aimed to project Pakistan’s persona negatively to justify their identity constructs. These discursive strategies shaped their foreign relations with Pakistan. The key finding of the paper is that Pakistan post 9/11 image is not a neutral or value free reflection of Pakistan’s actual identity rather it was constructed by its significant others: the US and India through their, political and media discourses