Structural violence in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa: How colonial legacies and geopolitical tensions fuel cyclical conflict in NW Pakistan
Original framing: “Five terrorists, two security personnel killed in NW Pakistan” — The Hindu
The original framing omits the historical context of British colonial divide-and-rule policies, the impact of U.S. drone strikes, and the role of Pakistan's military-industrial complex in perpetuating violence. Marginalized voices of Pashtun nationalists, tribal elders, and human rights activists are absent, as are discussions of economic deprivation and political disenfranchisement as root causes of insurgency.
Medium structural omission detected in mainstream coverage.
The Hindu, as an Indian English-language newspaper, frames this event through a lens of national security, reinforcing state-centric narratives that dehumanize insurgents and justify militarized responses. This framing serves the interests of state security apparatuses and obscures the historical and structural factors that sustain conflict. The narrative also aligns with broader geopolitical discourses that position Pakistan as a site of terrorism, diverting attention from the role of external actors in fueling instability.
The Durand Line (1893) and British colonial policies sowed ethnic divisions, while Cold War interventions and the War on Terror entrenched militarization. The 1979 Soviet invasion and subsequent U.S. support for mujahideen created lasting instability. These historical layers are critical to understanding contemporary violence.
The violence in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is not an isolated act of terrorism but the result of colonial legacies, geopolitical interventions, and state repression.