ABROGATION OF ACT 370 AND 35A: DIVERSE REALITIES REPRESENTED IN PAKISTANI, INDIAN AND INTERNATIONAL MEDIA DISCOURSE

Abstract

Representation of international issues in electronic media related to occupied territories has long been the focus of scholarly discussion. Kashmir is still a disputed territory between India and Pakistan and on this issue both these atomic powers fought around three wars which resulted in financial and human loss from both sides. However, before 5th August 2019, in constitution of India, people of Indian occupied Kashmir were enjoying special status which was abrogated and Indian government imposed lockdown to suppress the voice of Kashmiris against this act. Pakistani and Indian media reported this Discursive event to highlight the perspectives of their own governments. But international TV channels reported the issue differently. Keeping in view the significance of this phenomenon, the current study was conducted to investigate the representation of this issue in the respective TV channels of these countries and reporting of the international TV channels as well. In this concern, data was collected from randomly selected TV channels between 5th August 2019 and September 5th 2019. The obtained data was analysed by using Discourse Historical method of Wodak (2007) and the focus of the study was to explore Predication and Nomination strategies used in the discourses of the selected channels. The study finds that Pakistani and Indian electronic media presented the issue in line with self-projected and self-justified viewpoints of the concerned governments instead of highlighting their own objective opinion which needs to be re-addressed. Keywords: Ideological representation, International media, Indian media, Pakistani media, Kashmir issue.