Discursive Strategies in Imran Khan’s Address to the United Nations General Assembly: Ideological Square Model Perspective

Critical discourse analysis unearths the ideologies, beliefs, and principles embedded in spoken and written discourse. Imran Khan’s addresses to national and international forums gained the attention of the discourse analysts. The current study explored the discursive strategies used by ex-prime minister of Pakistan in his address to the 74th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA). The present study utilized a mixed-method research design by employing Van Dijk’s Ideological Square Model analytical framework. The data of the study and the transcribed text of the speech were gleaned through internet sources. The text of the speech was analyzed through the content analysis approach. Furthermore, the quantitative section looked at the frequency of the discusrive strategies like description of actor burden, and authority all presented through frequency tables and percentages. The findings revealed that actor description (42%), authority (27%), and burden (18%) were the most frequently employed strategies, indicating Khan’s deliberate use of persuasive devices to reinforce ideological positioning at both textual and socio-cognitive levels. These strategies helped enhance the persuasiveness of his speech.