Ph.D. Defence of Mr. Jan Muhammad
Mr. Jan Muhammad, Ph.D. Research Scholar has submitted thesis on "What People Witnessed. How Journalists Experienced: An Oral Hisroy of Militarized Violence in Swat" to the University of Peshawar, in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the award of degree of Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Journalism & Mass Communication.
The oral examination (Public Defence) is scheduled to be held on April 15, 2026 at 10:00 am in the Department of Journalism & Mass Communication, University of Peshawar. The abstract of the thesis is attached herewith.
All those interested in the said research work may participate in the event. They may raise relevant questions during presentation by the scholar for further evaluation.
Abstract
WHAT PEOPLE WITNESSED, HOW JOURNALISTS EXPERIENCED: AN ORAL HISTORY OF MILITARIZED VIOLENCE IN SWAT
This research aimed to explore the narratives and framing of local residents regarding militarized violence in Swat, Pakistan, from 2007 to 2009, when the Taliban took control of the picturesque valley in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. The Pakistani military launched an operation to wrest control of the area, which displaced more than three million people, while thousands of others were killed and disappeared in militarized violence. The study also examined journalists’ experiences of the conflict, considering their diverse perspectives and contexts related to media coverage and presentation. A qualitative methodology was employed, utilizing in-depth interviews as oral histories for data collection. Data was gathered from males, females, transgender individuals, and journalists across seven tehsils in Swat through a two-stage sampling process involving cluster and purposive sampling. In total, 33 interviewees affected by the conflict (14 males, five transgender individuals, and the rest females) and 12 journalists from six tehsils participated. Ethical protocols, including selection criteria and consent, were established. Interviews were conducted in Pashto and Urdu and later transcribed into English. Thematic analysis was applied to interpret the data, and validity was ensured through reliability procedures. Theoretically, framing theory provided the framework, with episodic framing being used for data analysis via an inductive approach. Results indicated that residents of Swat experienced both militant and military narratives as part of systematic deception, impacting their economy and causing physical and psychological trauma. Media coverage employed suffering and one-sided framing, often serving as propaganda tools by local, national, and international media organizations. Transgender individuals, marginalized socially, were unable to express their identities during the conflict. They viewed the media as lacking a positive role, with violence prevailing as the framing. Journalists reported pervasive fear, restricted movement, and the dominance of military and militant framing over local issues. The study recommends that journalists and media outlets adopt objective and impartial coverage, emphasizing residents’ perspectives over militaristic narratives during conflicts.