DECONSTRUCTING THE TERRORIST NARRATIVE: A SOCIAL MEDIA ANALYSIS OF THE BALOCH LIBERATION ARMY (BLA)

Terrorist organisations have established an online presence on social media. This trend is reflected in Pakistan as well. This paper examines the social media posts of the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA), a terrorist group in Pakistan by employing Fairclough’s Critical Discourse Analysis and Van Dijk’s ideological square framework. It scrutinises the narratives propagated by BLA, particularly in three areas: Liberation Movement Against Occupation, “Brave” Us and “Coward” Them, and Building Exploitative Infrastructure and Looting National Resources. Through an extensive review of BLA’s social media posts on its official Telegram channel, secondary data from scholarly articles, and interviews with local Baloch, the study finds that BLA is generating anti-state content as well as an excessive use of the genocidal rhetoric. Simultaneously, the posts glorify the organisation’s personnel. Additionally, such narratives are echoed by the local Baloch populace showcasing the percolation of BLA narratives in the educated, middle class. The findings highlight the need for a state-led social media counter-narrative initiative and the need to address the grievances of the Baloch people.