PM Imran spurns idea of reconciliation with corrupt

MUZAFFARABAD: Reaffirming his firm stance in the fight against corruption, Prime Minister Imran Khan on Wednesday strongly rejected the idea to go for reconciliation with the corrupt elements.

During a special session of the Azad Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly, AJK Prime Minister Raja Farooq Haider pleaded him to go for reconciliation with other parties, indirectly alluding to certain leaders of political parties facing corruption cases. Prime Minister Imran Khan vehemently opposed the idea, saying he was a democrat and democracy was deeply rooted in meritocracy.

Imran maintained that he had no personal enmity with anyone. “If someone has looted the national exchequer or corrupted the country, how can I spare him?” he questioned. The prime minister lamented that every government entity had been corrupted.

“It’s a fight against corruption. Take the example of China which has sent about 450 minister level people to jail whereas in the US and the Europe, corruption-tainted people were put behind bars even after a lapse of so many years,” he emphasised.

He said the world’s history had proved the efficacy of a democratic system and it was that form of government which found mention in the thoughts of AllamaMuhammad Iqbal, who was of the view that the West was thriving because of the democratic system whereas Muslims were reeling under the imperialism.

“There was prosperity and less poverty in better democratic dispensations,” he said, adding the countries with better democratic system had developed themselves while others lagged behind.

The prime minister said when the developed countries were juxtaposed with the poor countries, it emerged that availability of resources was not the cause, but graft and corruption which had 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.