"ECOLINGUISTICS AND POLITICAL DISCOURSE: ANALYZING MARYAM NAWAZ’S SUTHRA PUNJAB CAMPAIGN FOR ENVIRONMENTAL ADVOCACY IN PAKISTAN"

Abstract

Environmental discourse is gaining increasing prominence worldwide, shaping political agendas and public perceptions amid urgent ecological crises. In Pakistan, environmental issues have historically been marginalized within political rhetoric, despite the country facing severe challenges such as pollution, deforestation, and waste mismanagement. Maryam Nawaz’s Suthra Punjab (Clean Punjab) campaign—a high-profile political initiative launched to address environmental cleanliness and development in Punjab province—marks a significant moment where ecology enters mainstream political discourse in the region. This study employs an ecolinguistic approach, guided by Arran Stibbe’s theoretical framework, to analyze the campaign’s speeches, promotional materials, and media coverage. Using qualitative discourse analysis, the research identifies key ecological metaphors, framing strategies, identity constructions, and appraisals embedded in the campaign language. Findings reveal that the campaign effectively uses environmental metaphors such as “cleanliness as purity” and frames ecological responsibility as a marker of political legitimacy and moral governance. While the Suthra Punjab campaign foregrounds an environmental agenda, the analysis suggests that much of its discourse negotiates between genuine ecological advocacy and symbolic political messaging designed to mobilize voter support. The construction of in-group identities—“responsible citizens” engaged in environmental stewardship—contrasted with negligent “polluters,” serves both to galvanize public participation and reinforce political narratives. This research contributes to ecolinguistic scholarship by extending its application into South Asian political contexts, and to political communication studies by elucidating how environmental language functions rhetorically in Pakistan’s electoral politics. It illuminates the complex interplay between language, ecology, and power, underscoring both the potential and limitations of environmental discourse as an instrument of political leadership and social change.