Constructing Threats, Shaping Consent: Media Framing of the Pahalgam Incident in India and Pakistan

Abstract

This study examines the role of media framing in shaping public perceptions and strategic narratives surrounding the Pahalgam incident within the broader context of India–Pakistan relations. Drawing upon the theoretical foundations of media framing, agenda-setting, securitization, and narrative warfare, the research investigates how media institutions in both countries constructed competing interpretations of the event and mobilized public consent for particular political and security positions. The study argues that contemporary conflicts are increasingly fought in the informational domain, where narratives function as strategic instruments of influence alongside traditional military and diplomatic tools. Through a comparative analysis of media discourse, the article explores how Indian media predominantly framed the incident through security-nationalist and counterterrorism narratives, while Pakistani media emphasized humanitarian concerns, political grievances, and questions of regional justice. The research further examines the impact of digital media platforms, algorithmic amplification, echo chambers, and selective information consumption in reinforcing polarized interpretations of the incident. By highlighting the interaction between traditional and digital media within a hybrid communication environment, the study demonstrates how competing narratives contribute to threat construction, identity formation, and the securitization of interstate disputes. The findings suggest that media framing plays a critical role in shaping conflict communication, influencing public opinion, and sustaining adversarial perceptions, thereby affecting prospects for dialogue, de-escalation, and regional stability in South Asia.

Keywords: Preaching Methodology, Qur’anic Narratives, Contemporary Requirements, Guidance, Moral Reform