October 8, 2025Open Access

Mob Violence in Pakistan: A Discursive Socio-Cognitive Critical Discourse Analysis of Media Narratives

Key Points

Significant findings showed how media narratives shape public perception of mob violence and its actors, leading to social stigmatization.
Through critical discourse analysis using Van Dijk's socio-cognitive model, the study identified hidden ideologies present in media portrayals.
The analysis documented three notable cases of violence, highlighting how language choices influence understanding and discourse around mob actions.
Calls for an ethical press and critical media pedagogy were made to combat discriminatory narratives and promote inclusive practices.

Abstract

This study examined media narratives in Pakistan in the context of mob violence. The study aimed to investigate the effects of linguistic patterns, discourse production, and hidden motives behind media narratives on mob violence. The study examined the language use, organisation of the texts, and the concealed ideologies that underpin the portrayal of social actions and laws related to mob violence. Drawing on media (print and online editions) from primary mainstream sources, the study examined how vocabulary, syntax, and theme were employed to reflect such social actors and events. This qualitative research also examined how these portrayals contribute to the preservation of power relations, in-group/out-group ideologies, and cognitive structures that justify or question the crowd's acts of violence. Van Dijk's Socio-Cognitive Model in Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) had been utilised in three cases (i. e. , the lynching of Mashal Khan in 2017, the murder of Priyantha Kumara in 2021, and the 2023 Jaranwala attacks targeting the Christian community). The significant findings revealed the prevailing religious and political ideologies that stigmatise the victims and perpetrators in many ways, leading to the stratification of social order and persistent moral panic. This study suggested the immediate necessity of an ethical press, inclusive media practices, and a critical media pedagogy in media education, which can help remove the roots of discriminatory discourses. References Al Jazeera. (2023, August 16). Mobs burn Christian churches and homes in Pakistan after blasphemy allegations. Al Jazeera. https: //www. aljazeera. com/news/2023/8/16/angry-mobs-burn-christian-churches-in-pakistan-after-blasphemy-allegations Althusser, L. (1971). Ideology and ideological state apparatuses. 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