Eradication of corruption necessary for moving forward: PM

ISLAMABAD (92 News) - Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan has categorically said that the eradication of corruption is necessary for moving forward. In an interview with English news Qatar-based TV channel 'Al Jazeera', while reviewing his first two years in PM office, the prime minister said that the corruption is one of the biggest killer in the society. "Today there is no mega scandal corruption scandal in Pakistan because we have controlled the top level but the problem is still exist in the lower level. We need a lot of steps to control, it's a struggle but not going to happen quickly," he added "The reason why we have not to be able clamp down corruption because those who come to power and using the power to make money have never been held accountable. This is the first time in history the powerful held accountable. There is no magic wand so change requires struggle," the premier maintained.

Complete harmony between government, army

PM Khan has mentioned that there is complete harmony between the government and the army. "The army is with us on every issue, including Afghanistan. Some elements want to affect the Afghan peace process," he added.

Army, govt on same page to India policy or peace in Afghanistan

"I honestly think it's the most harmonious relationship, we have complete coordination, we work together, the military completely stands with all the government's democratic policies," he said, adding that the armed forces and the civilian government were on the same page whether it came to the India policy or peace in Afghanistan.

19 years of war created divisions in society

Speaking about the Afghanistan war, the premier said the 19 years of war had created such divisions in society that it was not possible for everyone to get together for peace all of a sudden. He also said that progress had been made in the peace talks. "This is the nearest we have got to peace in Afghanistan and a political solution," he said.

India not stakeholder in Afghan peace process

theprime minister said that India was not a stakeholder in the Afghanistan peace process as it did not have a border with Afghanistan whereas Pakistan did.  "Instability there creates instability in the border regions what were former tribal areas of Pakistan and that creates a problem for the whole country," he said.

India is being ruled by extremist

Speaking on the India-Pakistan relations, Imran Khan maintained that when he became the country's prime minister, he extended a hand of friendship towards India. "The tragedy of India is that it is being ruled by an extremist," said PM Imran. "It is an extremist government. It is a Hindu supremacist government inspired by the ideology of the Nazis," he added. He recalled how the RSS had been thrice banned in India, lamenting that the proponents of such an extremist organisation was in control of a nuclear-armed country of more than a billion people. To a question about whether he thinks Western countries abandoned Pakistan on the issue of Indian Illegally Occupied Kashmir (IIOK), the premier said that many countries unfortunately kept their commercial interests in mind.

Kingdom will always be friend of Pakistan

Answering a question about Pakistan's relations with Saudi Arabia, he said that the kingdom will always be a friend of Pakistan.

If some countries recognise Israel, not going to die down

Responding to ties with Israel and the UAE, PM Khan categorically said that any one-sided solution will not work. "Israel must realise this, if they do not allow the Palestinians to have a just settlement, a viable state, this issue's not going to die down. Even if some countries recognise Israel, it's not going to die down," he added.

Pakistan's economic future linked to China

When asked whether Islamabad with renegotiating its terms of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) with Beijing, the prime minister dispelled the rumours, saying that Pakistan's relationship with its ally was better than ever. "Pakistan's economic future is linked to China," he said. "China is growing at a faster pace than any other country and Pakistan, you know, can really benefit from the way China has developed," he added.