The representation of cultural diversity in Urdu-language newspapers in Pakistan: A study of Jang and Nawaiwaqt

This paper examines ethnicity, race and religion, as represented by the popular print media in Pakistan, with an aim to understand the development of attitudes towards diversity and to outline the prospects for multicultural policies in Pakistan. The paper examines how different ideologies are operative in the media texts and provides examples of perspectives regarding cultural diversity. Newspaper columns related to ethnicity, race and religion, published in two leading Urdu-language newspapers between February and July 2006 were located and analysed. The data reveals that the issues related to sub-cultures in Pakistani society remain generally ignored or downplayed. There is overwhelming emphasis on Pakistan's Islamic identity, which serves as an overall melting pot within which other forms of identity such as race, ethnicity and religious denomination remain invisible. Consequently, there is a significant discrepancy in the concept of Pakistani identity and how it fits the realities of a multicultural society.