Bhutto and Sharif families are responsible for Pakistan's misery: PM Imran Khan

Islamabad: Prime Minister Imran Khan Friday while calling corruption a reason to destroy a country, said the factor behind the countries’ poverty was not the lack of resources but the corruption of their leadership.

In an interview to an International media outlet, Al Jazeera, he said Pakistan was rich in resources but the Bhutto and Sharif families used them unfairly. "Bhutto and Sharif families are responsible for Pakistan's misery", the premier added.

The prime minister said “Corruption is something which destroys a country. The poor countries are poor not because of they lack resources but because their leadership is corrupt.”

The developing world is poor because the ruling elite siphoned off money and laundered it into off shore accounts.

He said the rule of law and public welfare were the two guiding principles of the Madina State.

“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.

Coming to 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 parties, so fighting them was like fighting a mafia.

He said both the parties had money and state resources which also used money and media against him.

Due to the very stance, the prime minister said, he was criticized immensely.

He said he would order a probe if anyone points out the corruption by any of his ministers as the corruption by the ruling elite destroys the country.

He said as far as the lower-level corruption by government officials, 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, current account deficit which took time to recover.

He said Pakistan was declared among the best to have effectively navigated through the COVID pandemic by maintaining balance between lives and livelihood.

He said like other developing countries, Pakistan was also faced with the imported inflation owing to the price hike of commodities like edible oil and pulses which are imported.