Contextualizing The System of Governance in Pakistan Through Academic and Non-Academic Discourse

Abstract

This research is a discourse analysis that explores the semiotic and representational practices surrounding the civil and military governing fabric of Pakistan. It investigates a quadrant knowledge base of university based publications, policy discourse, practitioners’ discourse and media discourse to evaluate the regime of representation for civil and military governance in Pakistan. This quadrant knowledge base thereby, provides the essential source of knowledge production on the subject, and assists in deconstructing the constructed meanings and identity for civil and military rule in the country. The research delivers on its core objectives to dissect the discursive practices that exist for the system of governance in Pakistan, in order to indicate what discourse prefers as the most suitable governing system for Pakistan, and identify the ontological objectivism regarding governance in general. A data set of HEC (2019) recognized journal articles of Universities and think tanks, stretching over a period of ten years (2008-2018), are reviewed. Additionally, the research has conducted structured open-ended interviews of a purposive and representative sample of bureaucrats, practitioners and media personnel to build up its findings