ELF Annual Research Journal 19 (2017) 247- 263 The Political Dynamics of the Public Sphere: The Case of Local Pakistani Talk Show Tabassum Saba  , Nadia Anwar  ABSTRACT: This study contextualizes Jurgen Habermas’ notion of public sphere in the presentation of political talk show on a private news channel in Pakistan. Private news channels in Pakistan, although seemingly independent and objective, reek of hidden agenda establishing their affiliations with some particular political party through their programs. They, no doubt, offer a platform to public to participate in discussions directly or indirectly but at the same time they are reluctant to violate those rules and regulations which are affirmed or imposed by the state. This research focuses on a single talk show from a private news channel which is internationally recognized and scrutinizes the extent to which the principles essential for public sphere such as inclusion, deliberation and opinion formation are followed through it. The study utilizes a mixed method approach. Conversation analysis has been employed to evaluate how the afore-mentioned principles in the said talk show promote or obstruct the idea of public sphere. It has been observed that different conversational strategies like turn- taking, interruption and overlapping are adopted by the participants to support or challenge the state point of view. The research evaluates the communicative density of the space created for the people to share their views and exercise the freedom of speech. Keywords: Public-sphere, talk-shows, inclusion, opinion-formation, deliberation Introduction The idea of public sphere, proposed by the German philosopher Jurgen Habermas (1989), refers to the concept of a public space created to generate and trigger discourses regarding various socio-political issues in society. It reflects that particular “realm of our social life” where “access is guaranteed to all citizens” (Habermas, 1989, p. 49). Public sphere provides individuals with the opportunity to participate in a debate and thus enables them to negotiate, converse and articulate ideas and thoughts about different problems they are faced with. In this regard, television talk shows can be taken as an apparatus to promote the notion of public sphere. This paper discusses the role of public sphere to critically evaluate the social media in terms of its instigative function. It investigates whether the public sphere  PhD Research Scholar, Department of English Language and Literature, University of Management and Technology Lahore, Pakistan  Assistant Professor, Department of English and Literature, University of Management and Technology Lahore, Pakistan(Corresponding author E-mail address: nadia725@hotmail.com)