POPULISM AND POLITICAL POLARIZATION: EVIDENCE FROM PAKISTAN

Abstract

This article studies the rapport between populism and political polarization in Pakistan, with special consideration to the period from the late 2000s to 2025. The central argument is that populism in Pakistan is not a temporary electoral style or a simple technique of mass mobilization; rather, it has become a durable mode of political competition that intensifies polarization by dividing society into morally purified camps of "the people" and "the corrupt elite." In Pakistan, this logic has been expressed through anti-dynasty rhetoric, anti-corruption narratives, anti-establishment slogans, religious appeals, digital mobilization, and emotionally charged claims of betrayal and victimhood. The article uses a qualitative, interpretive approach and draws on election data, democracy reports, media assessments, and secondary scholarship to show how populist discourse has restructured competition among parties, transformed public expectations, and placed stress on democratic institutions. The discussion shows that political polarization in Pakistan is not only ideological. It is also affective, institutional, and informational: opponents increasingly view one another as existential threats; state institutions are drawn into partisan struggle; and media ecosystems amplify anger, suspicion, and rumor. The paper claims that while populism has widened participation and given many citizens a new language for expressing exclusion and frustration, it has also undermined democratic restraint when leaders present themselves as the sole authentic voice of the nation. Pakistan therefore offers a revealing case of how populism can deepen representation and democratic aspiration at one moment, yet erode pluralism, trust, and institutional balance at another. The article accomplishes that reducing polarization in Pakistan requires stronger electoral legitimacy, more impartial institutions, healthier party organization, and a media environment that rewards accountability rather than permanent outrage.