Decimating Democracy in 140 Characters or Less: Pakistan Army’s Subjugation of State Institutions through Twitter

Akshat Upadhyay

Lt Col Akshat Upadhyay has completed his MPhil in Defence and Strategic Studies from Punjab University. He has a double Masters in History and Political Science and a Bachelor of… Continue reading Decimating Democracy in 140 Characters or Less: Pakistan Army’s Subjugation of State Institutions through Twitter read more

The Directorate General of Inter Services Public Relations (DG-ISPR), or the Pakistan Army’s media wing has perfected the form of subverting democracy and showcasing the dominant position of the Army in the entire Pakistani polity. This article sets out to prove the same in a quantified manner. By analysing almost 25 tweets from the official account of DG-ISPR in the period 2016 −18, the article tries to quantify, using the Merkel-Croissant model of embedded democracy, the priorities of the Pakistan Army. This article also provides a case analysis of some of the more controversial tweets and how DG-ISPR has succeeded in subverting Pakistani democratic institutions.