Staff Reporter Islamabad
Prime Minister Imran Khan has said that developing countries are poor not because they lack the required resources, but due to their “corrupt” ruling elite that siphons off money to offshore accounts.
“Corruption is something which destroys a country. The poor countries are poor not because they lack resources but because their leadership is corrupt,” the prime minister said in an interview with Al Jazeera.
Imran Khan said he wanted to establish Pakistan on the principles of the state of Madina. The rule of law and public welfare were the two guiding principles of the state of Madina, he added.
“A society is civilized only when it has the rule of law. Without rule of law, there is no future. When ministers start stealing, you cannot make progress,” he remarked.
About his political struggle, the prime minister said his fight was against the corrupt ruling elite which was destroying the country. He told the interviewer that there were two entrenched family-run political parties, so fighting them was like fighting a mafia. The prime minister said both parties had money and state resources which also used money and media against him.
Speaking about corruption in his government, he said he would order a probe if anyone points out any corrupt practice by any of his ministers. The government had ordered a probe into the sugar crisis after some of the ruling party members were found involved in the scam, he added.
Imran said as far as lower-level corruption by government officials is concerned, the government was introducing automation to do away with it.
To a question, the prime minister said his government had inherited the highest ever debt, fiscal deficit and current account deficit which takes time to recover. The premier said Pakistan was declared among the best to have effectively navigated through the Covid-19 pandemic by maintaining a balance .
