Political Discourse Analysis of the Islamic Identity in Pakistan’s Foreign Policy
Abstract
Identity, being a construct of social and historical milieus, by the establishment of the differences between ‘self’ and ‘others’, effects individuals or groups who tend to identify themselves with that identity. Identity plays an instrumental role in establishment of perceptive similarities with some actors while shaping dissimilarities from others. Throughout the course of its history since independence in 1947, Pakistan has confronted a constant identity crisis. However, in the face of an existential threat emanating from India, Pakistan’s power elite has managed to tread the foreign policy of Pakistan using the Islamic identity. This article discloses the discursive patterns of identity and the role of discourse as a performative tool in embedment of Islamic component in Pakistan’s foreign policy and how it helped shape the external outlook of Pakistan vis-à-vis not only the Islamic world but also great powers.
Authors
Hamid Iqbal
Lecturer, Department of International Relations, National Defence University, Islamabad, Pakistan
Dr. Muhammad Hanif Khalil
Associate Professor, National Institute of Pakistan Studies, Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad, Pakistan