PM rules out reconciliation with ‘corrupt elements’

MUZAFFARABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan, reaffirming his firm stance in the fight against corruption, has strongly rejected the idea to develop reconciliation with corrupt elements.

During a special session of the Azad Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly on Wednesday, AJK Prime Minister Raja Farooq Haider had pleaded him to develop reconciliation with other parties, alluding to certain leaders of political parties, who had been facing corruption cases.

Prime Minister Khan vehemently opposed the idea, saying he was a democrat not merely to come to power, but because democracy was deeply rooted in meritocracy. He maintained he had no personal enmity with anyone. If anyone had looted the national exchequer, how could he be spared, he questioned.

The Prime Minister lamented that every government entity had been corrupted. “It’s fight against corruption. Take the example of China which had sent about 450 minister level people to jail whereas in the US and Europe, corruption-tainted people were put behind bars even after lapse of so many years,” he emphasised.

He said the world’s history proved the efficacy of democratic system and it was that form of government which found mention in the thoughts of Allama Muhammad 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 were not the cause, but the graft and corruption which had riddled those countries and cited resources-gifted, poor countries like Congo and Nigeria. The reason for prosperous nations was functioning of a clean and transparent government, he added.