Imran Khan prefers 'meritocratic' China model over democracy as Pakistan reels under debt

Reflecting the sheer desperation of debt-ridden Pakistan, Imran Khan professed his preference for China's one-party model over electoral democracy. Heaping praises on the Communist Party of China, the Pakistan PM told Chinese media representatives on July 1 that their country has outscored the West in bringing forth meritocracy and accountability. Maintaining that a transparent system is key to achieve progress, he dismissed the notion that leadership can be held accountable only in electoral democracy.

Speaking on the centenary of the CPC, Khan lauded the fact that it is a very "flexible" system. He added, "When they want to change something, that system allows them the change. In Pakistan or for that matter, Western democracies, it is very difficult to bring change in the system". 

Pakistan PM Imran Khan remarked, "The CPC is a unique model. Until now, we were told that the best way of societies improving themselves is the Western system of democracy. And we were told that it is the best way for the progress of a society. What the CPC has done is that they have brought in an alternate model and they have actually beaten all Western democracies in the way they have brought up merit in the society. A society succeeds if the society has systems which brings two things forward- meritocracy and accountability."

"Until now, the feeling was that electoral democracy is the best way where you can get leadership based on merit and hold that leadership accountable. What CPC has done is that without that electoral democracy, it has actually achieved that and much better. What I saw in China when I visited the Communist Party headquarters where they gave us briefings, their system of sifting talent, grooming and bringing it up," he added. 

Pakistan rules out re-think on ties with China

Recently, Pakistan PM Imran Khan claimed to have resisted pressure from the US and other Western nations to downgrade ties with its "all-weather friend" China. Speaking exclusively to China's English-language state broadcaster China Global Television Network (CGTN), he admitted that Pakistan was rattled by the growing clout of the Quad. India, Australia, the US and Japan have formed the 'Quad' coalition to counter China’s aggressive behaviour in the Indo-Pacific region.

Ruling out a rethink on Pakistan-China relations, the 1992 Cricket World Cup-winning captain affirmed, "If there is pressure put on Pakistan to change its relationship or downgrade its relationship with China, it won't happen. Because the relationship between Pakistan and China is very deep. And it's not just the governments, it is the people-to-people relationship. To sum up, the relationship between the two countries no matter what pressure is put on us is not going to change."