Prime Minister Imran Khan on Friday termed corruption as the biggest evil plaguing poor countries, saying the leading cause of poverty around the world was not a lack of resources but the corruption of leadership.

“Corruption is something that destroys a country. The poor countries are poor not because they lack resources but because their leadership is corrupt,” the prime minister said during a wide-ranging interview with Al Jazeera.

The developing world is poor because the ruling elite siphoned off the money and laundered it into offshore accounts, he added.

He said the rule of law and public welfare were the two guiding principles of the state of Madinah.

“A society is civilised only when it has the rule of law. Without the rule of law, there is no future. When ministers start stealing, you cannot progress,” he remarked.