INDIA-PAKISTAN CONFLICT 2025: A CRITICAL DISCOURSE ANALYSIS OF GENERAL MUNIR'S NUCLEAR STANCE

Abstract

The present research  explores the nuclear discourse of Pakistan’s Army Chief, General Asim Munir, during the 2025 Indo-Pakistan conflict by using Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA). The research  examine how language is used to express power, authority and national identity in an official military speech. The study  used Norman Fairclough’s Three-Dimensional Model, with particular focus on the descriptive (textual) stage of analysis as framework for research.The data for this research consists of a public speech delivered by General Asim Munir at the Pakistan Military Academy. The analysis focuses on linguistic features such as vocabulary, pronoun usage, modality, transitivity, metaphors, and evaluative language. These textual elements are evaluated to understand how meanings are constructed at the surface level of the text without moving into interpretation or descriptions.The findings reveal that the speech makes extensive use of strong and assertive language, modal verbs are used at greater level and militarized vocabulary. Inclusive pronouns are frequently used to create unity between the military, the state, and the public, while negative lexical choices are used to represent the adversary. The speech also contains religious references and metaphors that strengthen emotional appeal and authority.