Comparative Analysis of Indian Press Coverage: The Case of Pakistan's 2022 Regime Change
Keywords:
‘Regime Change’, Political Upheaval, No-Confidence Motion, Indian Press, Content Analysis, Framing TheoryAbstract
Pakistan witnessed yet another political upheaval in which another democratically elected prime minister was removed from office by opposition parties on the pretext of a 'no-confidence motion'. Mr. Imran Khan, Chairman of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) faced the same fate of not being able to complete his term as Prime Minister like his predecessors. International media covered the issue rigorously, raised many questions, and produced various discourses regarding the ‘regime change’ that took place in Pakistan in April 2022. This research endeavor is an attempt to explore the nature of coverage given to the change of government in Pakistan by the Indian newspapers. We have attempted to explore; how Hindustan Times, The Economic Times, and The Times of India portrayed Pakistan's government change during April 2022. Secondly, what are the predominant themes produced by the selected Indian newspapers regarding the change of government in Pakistan during April 2022? Employing the content analysis as research methodology, we have found out that daily The Times of India remained skeptical towards the ‘regime change’ by covering the incident negatively. However, dailies Hindustan Times and The Economic Times produced themes more neutrally by avoiding any political inclinations. All the newspapers framed the ‘regime change’ as an intricate political change and highlighted the strained relations between the main institutions of Pakistan.
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