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ISLAMABAD (APP): Prime Minister Imran Khan has asserted that the absence of rule of law had not only deprived the majority of the people of basic amenities, but also kept the country from achieving its immense potential.
“The problem was the elite capture of resources which deprived the majority of proper healthcare, education and justice. I am convinced that no society can achieve its potential if there is no rule of law,” the prime minister said in an exclusive online conversation with American scholar Shaykh Hamza Yusuf aired Sunday.
Yusuf is the president of Zaytuna College in California. According to the college’s website, he has authored several encyclopedia entries, academic papers, and articles on Muslim bioethics, legal theory and other topics.
Talking about his vision for the country, PM Imran said that he wanted the country to follow two main principles: the first that it is a welfare and humane state, which takes care of the downtrodden, and the second that ensured the rule of law.
The prime minister stated that the country has “tremendous potential”, adding that people were talented and that Pakistan had a diverse mix of ethnic groups. He lamented the “elite’s capture”, explaining that a certain segment of society had monopolised resources and deprived the majority of education, healthcare and justice.
“Merit is also associated with rule of law. If you do not have meritocracy in a society, you have this elite which is spoiled, rich and which did not strive and struggle and they sit on the main positions,” he said, adding, “Countries disintegrate because of a decadent elite. People do not decay it is the elite that decays.”
He stated that it was also imperative to lift people out of poverty and spoke about the welfare programmes introduced by his government. “If we can lift people out of poverty and break the monopoly of the elite, I always believed the country had great potential,” he added.
The climate crisis
Talking about the climate crisis, the Prime Minister reiterated the environment should be treated as sacred. “The biggest environmental disaster in the world called climate change was because human beings had deviated from the basic principle of protecting the earth”, he said.
Quoting a Hadith of Holy Prophet (SAWW), advising people to “Work for this world as if you will live forever and work for the hereafter as if you will die tomorrow”, the prime minister said whatever humans would do today would ultimately have an impact on future generations.
The premier added that the Hadith had completely encompassed everything about the environment and how one should be living on earth.
His political journey
Touching on his own political journey, PM Imran said that he would never have entered politics if he did not have faith. “I had everything. I was already a big name in my country, I had respect and I had enough money,” he said.
“For me to spend 22 years of my life struggling to become a prime minister made no sense,” he added. The premier stated that the only reason he continued was that he believed he had a responsibility towards society as he was blessed with more than others. “God will test you according to what he has given you in life.”
The premier said that he wanted to make Pakistan into an Islamic welfare state based on the concept of the state of Madina. He also said he looked towards the struggle of Holy Prophet (SAWW).
“I did not think I was going to make any personal gains. I came into politics because I thought we should make Pakistan on the principles of the state of Madina,” the premier added.
He added that despite all the difficulties and disappointments, human beings only had the power to struggle. Success and failure lies in the hands of the Creator, he said.
