Imran Khan has been giving daily (sometimes twice or three times daily) speeches at the location of the sit-in (dharna) in Islamabad, this is in addition to almost daily TV and newspaper interviews. The talks are, for the most part, centered around the issue of the rigging of elections, and necessity of change in the political/electoral system so that free/fair elections can be held in the country. But he also talks considerably about the necessity of social-cultural-economic changes necessary in Pakistan – and need for the nation to “wake up.”

Given Imran Khan’s background, he tends to idealize western “democracies” – as a model. This is erroneous on his part, and sometimes his idealizing of those “democracies” suggests an incomplete view of just how bankrupt western political systems are also. It would be more useful, if the movement begins to also look at other models, in particular the Latin American nations – whose economic and social conditions were similar to that of Pakistan, but in the past decade or two have made remarkable strides under popular social-democratic governments.

During his talk on September 30th – Imran Khan correctly talked about how debt – and in particular how the IMF is strangling Pakistan, and he recommends people read the book by John Perkins, Confessions of an Economic Hitman.

For those interested in this issue – I’d also recommend that folks listen to President Cristina Fernandez’s speech to the United Nations, where she directly addresses the issue of debt, and economic speculation, based on her own country, Argentina’s experience.