ABSTRACT
This chapter takes different conceptual frameworks and theories to study the narrative-building process, extremism, extremist narratives and counter-extremism narratives. The work by Aristotle, on narrative building in Rhetoric and Poetics, has guided in analysing the process of effective narrative building as means of persuasion, aimed at creating acceptance of a message among the masses. In the case of Pakistan, securitization theory helps in understanding extremism, extremist narratives and counter-narratives by pointing out the ways in which extremist elements and governments securitized extremism through the construction of threats stemming from extremism, while also justifying the use of violence for tackling their respective security threats. For building a logical and socially acceptable construction of counter-narratives and dissemination, Constructivism is taken as a guide, which also identifies the problematic counter-narrative building in Pakistan. Although these approaches guide us in understanding different aspects of narrative building, extremism, extremist narratives and counter-narratives, however, their assumptions taken together enable us to understand these issues in the case of Pakistan.
