Reaffirming his firm stance in fight against corruption, Prime Minister Imran Khan Wednesday strongly rejected the idea to develop a reconciliation with the corrupt elements.
During a special session of the Azad Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly, AJK Prime Minister Raja Farooq Haider had pleaded him to develop reconciliation with other parties, indirectly alluding to certain leaders of political parties who have been facing corruption cases.
Prime Minister Imran Khan vehemently opposed the idea, saying he is a democrat not merely to come to power but because democracy is deeply rooted in meritocracy. He maintained that he has no personal enmity with anyone. If anyone has looted the national exchequer or corrupted the country, how could he be spared, he posed a question.
The prime minister lamented that every government entity has been corrupted. “It’s fight against corruption. Take the example of China which had sent about 450 minister level people in jail, whereas in the US and Europe, corruption-tainted people were put behind bars even after lapse of so many years,” he remarked.
He said the world’s history proves the efficacy of democratic system and it is that form of government which found mention in the thoughts of Allama Iqbal, who was of the view that the West is thriving because of the democratic system whereas Muslims are reeling under the imperialism. There is prosperity and less poverty in better democratic dispensations, he said, adding the countries with better democratic system have developed themselves while others lag behind. The prime minister said when the developed countries were juxtaposed with the poor countries, it emerged that availability of resources is not the cause, but the graft and corruption which has riddled those countries and cited resources-gifted, poor countries like Congo and Nigeria. The reason for prosperous nations is functioning of a clean and transparent government, he added.
