ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan singled out the corruption of leaders as the reason behind the poverty and debt traps developing countries are increasingly finding themselves in, as he played down the risks that scarcity of resources possessed to a nation’s ambitions.
“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 told host Ola Al-Fares during an interview with Al-Jazeera.
The developing world is poor because the ruling elite siphoned off the money and laundered it into its offshore accounts, he asserted.
Khan said the rule of law and public welfare were the two guiding principles of the state of Medina. “A society is civilised only when it follows the rule of law. Without rule of law, there is no future. When ministers start stealing, you cannot make progress,” he said.
Shedding light on his 22-year-long political struggle, the prime minister said his fight was against the corrupt ruling elite which was destroying the country.
Alluding to Sharif and Bhutto dynasties, Khan said there were two entrenched family parties, so “fighting them was like fighting a mafia”. He said both the parties held monies and had access to state resources that were used against him during his opposition days.
When asked about his illustrious cricketing career, Khan said cricket was in his family with his cousins and uncles already playing the sport for the national team.
He said the sports taught him the ability to cope with tough times and defeat, and the dynamics of “picking up yourself again”.
He said he gave some additional years to cricket to remain in limelight in order to collect funds to build the nation’s first-ever dedicated cancer hospital, Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital.
Just for the very cause, he changed himself “from an introvert and shy person to the biggest fundraiser” the country had ever seen.
He said Shaukat Khanum was the first private medical facility of its kind that is treating 75 percent of its patients for free. Khan added he would never have been able to build the hospital if he had not learned struggle from cricket.
The prime minister said he wanted to build Pakistan on the model of the state of Medina. He said earlier Pakistan was being ruled by “two corrupt families” who came into power just for the sake of making dirty money.
Regarding the deteriorating situation in Afghanistan, Khan said it was insanity what the West had done in the war-ravaged country for 20 years.
He observed no Afghan was involved in the deadly 9/11 attacks but the western countries occupied the country to achieve something which could never be secured through the use of brute force.
Due to the very stance, the prime minister said, he was criticised and derogatorily called “Taliban Khan”.
He said he would order an immediate probe if anyone points to the corruption by any of his ministers. As far as the lower-level corruption by government officials was concerned, the government was introducing automation to do away with it, too.
To a question, the prime minister said his government had inherited the highest ever debt, fiscal liabilities and current account deficits in Pakistan’s history.
He said Pakistan was counted among the handful of nations to have effectively navigated through the Covid-19 crisis by maintaining a delicate balance between lives and livelihood of the poor.
Khan said like other developing countries, Pakistan was also faced with imported inflation owing to the price hike of commodities such as edible oil and pulses which are imported.
He said in order to do away with the disparity in the education system, the government introduced the Single National Curriculum (SNC) with consensus and consultation with all stakeholders.
Touching on Islamophobia, he said the Muslim leaders never portrayed the real face of Islam before the West, particularly after 9/11. “This made the Muslims in western countries face Islamophobia despite the fact terrorism had no relation with Islam”.
He said “Imran Khan alone could not make any change” unless the whole Muslim world must take a joint stance at the forums, like the United Nations, to make some difference.
The prime minister advised the youth to adopt Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) as a role model. They should know how he transformed the characters and made them leaders.
The prophet was called Rehmatul-lil-Aalameen a blessing for the entire mankind, not just the Muslims. “Anyone who will follow his model will rise,” the prime minister said.
To a question about Afghanistan, he said Pakistan was faced with a very tricky situation after the exit of the US troops and the subsequent Taliban takeover.
He said the world including the US should think rationally for sake of 40 million people of that country or else the situation would lead towards chaos and terrorism.
In case of any chaos in Afghanistan, Pakistan would be immediately affected as the country had already been hosting three million refugees.
On the Kashmir dispute, he said Pakistan held the responsibility to raise the issue at every forum.
He said if India made any strike on Pakistan, it would respond in the similar manner it adopted in February 2019. “Only mad people can think of bringing two nuclear powers face to face. Indian people are good but they are being ruled by fanatics,” he lamented.
