Journal of Professional Research in Social Sciences

Cross-Border Narratives: Construction of Pakistan’s Image on Facebook in Afghanistan

Hekmatullah Aziz — 2025-06-30

In Afghanistan, misconceptions about Pakistan are widespread. This study aims to understand those misconceptions by examining social media discourses. Facebook is a popular social network in Afghanistan; therefore, between October 2020 and February 2021, the researchers studied the discourses on selected Facebook pages, including those run by news organizations and individual users. Using Critical Discourse Analysis, 205 posts in toto and the comments made on them by users were analysed. The analysis found that Afghans have negative feelings toward Pakistan and Pakistanis, perceiving them as both "others" and "enemies." However, the perception of Pakistan as an enemy state dominated the discourses produced on individually run pages, as well as the comments made by users. The study concludes that all Afghans harbour prejudices against Pakistanis and that the majority regard Pakistan as an enemy state. The researchers recommend more studies on wider Afghan media discourses to validate these findings.

Celebrity Endorsement Impact on Beauty Products Buying Behaviour of Young Females: Personality Trait as a Moderator

Dr. Mian Hanan Ahmad — 2025-06-30

Celebrity endorsement has emerged as a pivotal strategy in modern marketing, particularly within the beauty industry, where female consumers represent the primary target audience. This study explores the influence of celebrity endorsements on consumers’ buying behaviour, focusing on their ability to shape perceptions, build trust, and drive purchasing decisions. Drawing from theoretical framework of Cooper’s (1984) and Erdogan’s (1999), the study highlights how celebrities enhance brand recall, credibility, and desirability. Theoretical frameworks such as the Source Credibility Model and Cultivation theory are employed to analyse the effectiveness of endorsements in aligning celebrity traits with brand values. The survey method was employed in this study and data was collected from 350 females’ age range from 18-40 years. Findings reveal that celebrity endorsements significantly impacted on brand visibility and consumer trust, with attractive and credible celebrities driving higher engagement. However, the study also underscores the complexity of ensuring a good celebrity-brand fit, as mismatched endorsements can harm brand reputation. Additionally, factors such as emotional appeal and perceived lifestyle associations play a critical role in influencing buying decisions. This study concluded that celebrity endorsement, is a powerful marketing tool, must be strategically aligned with the brand’s goals and consumer expectations.

Pirs and the Politics of Security: Assessing the influence of Religious Authority on Pakistan’s Strategic Culture

Irfan Farooq — 2025-06-30

This research work explores the role of Pirs, spiritual leaders within the ecclesiastic tradition of Pakistan, and their indeterminate role in transforming Pakistan’s strategic culture and security dynamics. Pirs have influenced Pakistan's social and political history by being agents of social cohesion and intermediaries between communities and the government in areas where government reach is limited. This study sheds light on how Pirs reinforce domestic stability, serve counter-radicalization functions, while shaping perceptions and narratives around national security issues. Although moderate Pirs advocate principles of tolerance to curb extremism, their influence can complicate governance, posing a risk where excessive reliance on religious authority might undermine secular spaces and marginalize certain sects. This study advocates a nuanced approach that allows counterterrorism partnerships with moderate Pirs, while ensuring the protection of secular governance. Therefore, Pakistan needs to tread carefully around religious influence and utilize local religious networks to keep the country as stable as possible without undermining state power. This investigation urges to broaden the analysis of the role of religious networks in different contexts and calls for appropriate strategies that reconcile religious and state authority to attain sustainable security and effective governance.

Power and Paradox: PTI’s Contentious Engagement with Pakistan’s Institutional Pillars (2018–2022)

Syed Sibtain Hussain Shah — 2025-06-30

For decades, Pakistan's political dynamics have been shaped by the relationship between the elected civilian government and the state’s other institutions, a cornerstone of the country's political direction. The struggle for political dominance among various entities has also impacted political parties' policies. The most contemporary circumstance of such a battle is the case of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), which emerged as a populist force under Imran Khan's leadership in 2018, but its clash with the state’s institutions erupted in 2022. PTI initially benefitted from the state’s institutional patronage, gaining credibility and influence. However, this relationship was strained by policy failures, including economic difficulties and other governance issues, which caused the institutions to withdraw their support, contributing to PTI's decline. This research explores the PTI's track, focusing on the challenges of maintaining civilian government and the reliance on institutional and bureaucratic support. Adopting a descriptive approach of the qualitative method, the study draws on theories of civil-military relations and populism to evaluate tensions underlying PTI's shifting trajectory and analyse the contributing elements to PTI's ascent and subsequent decline. Authors of this article examined wider ramifications for Pakistan's political stability and democratic processes and analysed the discrepancies between PTI's political strategies, governance outcomes, and the institutions’ changing priorities based on national interest. The study ensures diverse insights into PTI's relationship with the state’s institutions and the broader political landscape.

Adoption of AI-Powered Learning Tools in Pakistani Universities: A TAM (Technology Acceptance Model)-Based Analysis

Dr. Abdul Basit — 2025-06-30

This qualitative research investigates the opportunities and challenges faced by educators in implementing AI technologies in higher education. Using a questionnaire guide, the interviews were conducted with thirty instructors across various disciplines. The study explores the potential of utilizing different forms of AI, such as adaptive learning systems, automated assessments, and AI-based instruction, to enhance existing teaching methods, improve student performance, and provide personalized learning opportunities. Participants highlighted the transformative benefits of AI technology, noting that it alleviates the paperwork burden in education, thereby allowing teachers to teach and students to learn. The theoretical framework for presenting the results is the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM), which explains the extent to which educators are willing to embrace technological changes within their belief systems. These changes raise ethical concerns regarding privacy, discrepancies in educational equity, and the risk of dehumanizing education. This line of research is enriched by the anonymized survey data and qualitative findings, which strongly advocate for a multi-stakeholder approach to recognizing and addressing ethical and practical challenges. Additionally, this research emphasizes the need for fair policies and practices concerning artificial intelligence applications. Therefore, the study offers original insights into the acceptability of AI in terms of its prospects and limitations within the context of Pakistani higher education.

Qatar as a Middle Power Mediator: An Exploration of its Motivations to Mediate

Aiysha Safdar — 2025-06-30

Qatar ticks all the features of a middle power with mediation as a cornerstone of its foreign policy. Over the past few years, it has gained prominence as a mediator, facilitating diplomatic negotiations between several controversial state and non-state actors and leveraging its status as a middle power. This article highlights Qatar’s motivations for embodying the role of a mediator and its role in conflict resolution, substantiated by the conceptual framework of the middle power concept and mediation. The paper has focused on the underlying inspirations for the role mediation, that is, a voluntary process. The study also explores the critical drivers of Qatar’s interest in mediation, which are security and stability in the region. Doha has a limited strategic depth, with the geopolitical struggle for regional dominance between Saudi Arabia and Iran. This article adopts a qualitative approach, integrating extensive and reliable secondary data to analyse the role of Qatar as a middle power mediator in the Middle East. The findings of the study suggest that Qatar’s engagement as a mediator is driven by strategic reasons to pursue international prestige and altruistic objectives. Through this article, we aim to explore the motivations behind Qatari mediation, while shedding light on its evolving position in the volatile geopolitical landscape of the Middle East.

Role of Casteism and Body Image in Predicting Marriage Prospects of Young Pakistani Adults

Qaisar Khalid Mahmood — 2025-06-30

This study aimed to examine the relationship between their demographic characteristics, perceived body image, casteism and prospects of marriage among university students. The respondents were asked questions about gender, educational status, monthly family income, employment status, living area, family type, casteism and perceived body image. An online cross-sectional survey was conducted with the students’ studying at Pakistan's higher education institutes and universities. Findings indicate that most of the respondents were doing graduation (54.4 per cent) or post-graduation (42.7 per cent). Three-fourths of the respondents were unemployed. Majority of the respondents were female (59.6 per cent) and belonged to urban areas of the country. In addition, the study population had almost equal representation of each economic class. Independent sample t-test and one-way ANOVA were performed to see the effect of socio-demographic variables on marriage prospects of the respondents. Findings indicate that males had more prospects of marriage as compared to females. Correlational analysis indicated casteism had a statistically significant and positive relationship with marriage prospects (r=.353, p<.01) and body image (r=.125, p<.05). Moreover, body image had a statistically significant and positive relationship with marriage prospects (r=.197, p<.01). Furthermore, linear regression showed that casteism is a stronger predictor of prospects of marriage than body image. Based on the findings of this study, we can conclude that three factors i.e. caste, body image and economic status are important in predicting the marriage prospects among young adults. However caste came out as strong predictor as compared to body image. In a traditional Pakistani society, caste is not just a historical phenomenon but it contains deep cultural and socio-economic and socio-psychological ramifications.

Contractual and Relational Governance Mechanisms in The Power Generation Sector of Pakistan: Adopting Public-Private Partnership Models

Muhammad Rehman — 2025-06-30

Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs) are the main element of participatory governance. Since the late 1980s, PPPs have become an essential element in infrastructural development worldwide. In Pakistan, the PPPs approach has contributed to the infrastructural development, especially within the power generation sector. Energy is an essential element of economic growth, and an energy deficit significantly affects progress, impacting the socio-economic development of the country. In this article, the researcher examines the effects of contractual and relational governance mechanisms instead of the principle of governance in the energy sector. Contractual and relational governance mechanisms have different dimensions that make the governance process align with policies and implementation processes. The poor governance mechanism and inefficient policy implementation have negative effects on the energy sector, which becomes the cause of the energy crisis and creates a vacuum for many other problems. PPP models and approaches directly impact the intergovernmental coordination and governance structure. Moreover, the infrastructure of the transmission lines is not capable enough to produce and supplying the maximum demand. The objective of this study is to analyze and evaluate the existing PPP models, governance mechanisms, regulatory framework, and strategies within the power generation sector of Pakistan.