CHINA-PAKISTAN ECONOMIC CORRIDOR THROUGH THE LENS OF DISCOURSE HISTORICAL APPROACH: A CRITICAL MEDIA STUDY OF ECONOMIC AND POLITICAL NARRATIVES IN PAKISTAN

Abstract

This study critically investigates the discursive construction of the future within media narratives on CPEC, employing Ruth Wodak’s Discourse-Historical Approach (DHA) in conjunction with Theo van Leeuwen’s framework of Social Actor Representation. Drawing upon a qualitative analysis of selected articles from three leading English-language Pakistani newspapers—Dawn, The News, and The Express Tribune—this research examines the rhetorical strategies and discursive devices used to frame CPEC’s projected impacts. By exploring how various social actors—including state institutions, political figures, foreign stakeholders, and the general public—are represented, legitimized, or problematized, the study reveals the ideological underpinnings embedded within the discourse. It interrogates how narratives of economic prosperity, strategic partnership with China, and national progress are constructed and sustained, as well as how dissenting or critical voices are marginalized or delegitimized. The analysis pays particular attention to the intertextual and interdiscursive features of the selected texts, tracing how historical references, policy documents, and geopolitical imaginaries are invoked to lend credibility and coherence to the CPEC narrative. The findings highlight key discursive strategies such as nomination, predication, argumentation (topoi), and perspectivization, which work collectively to frame CPEC as a symbol of hope, modernization, and geopolitical realignment. This research contributes to the growing body of critical discourse studies on large-scale infrastructure projects by illuminating the role of media in shaping public imaginaries of the future. It underscores how print media acts not only as a reflector but also as a constructor of socio-political realities, actively participating in the legitimation of development agendas and strategic alliances.