Prime Minister Imran Khan has said that shaking hands with the opposition entails a willingness to accept corruption.

Addressing a function in Islamabad on Thursday, he said, "People tell me that you don't shake the hand of the opposition leader. [But] he is facing corruption allegations. If I shake his hand, I make it [the crime] acceptable in society."

The prime minister, giving the example of England, said that even if a politician is suspected of siphoning public money, neither do anchors call them on TV, and nor do they attend parliamentary sessions till they clear their name.

"Over there, it is unfathomable that a person guilty of corruption worth billions of rupees would go to the parliament and deliver a two-hour-long speech," he added.

He regretted that the moral and ethical values were gradually eroding, thus giving space for corruption.

Expressing concern over the rising cases of sex crimes in the country, he said, access to immoral content on social media regardless of age restriction was a big factor.

“In today’s Pakistan, the need for an effective input and involvement of our intellectuals has increased manifold,” he said.

He said Indian society faced the destruction of the family system as their films promoted objectionable content, and resultantly, New Delhi was titled the ‘rape capital.'

“A nation which fails to distinguish between the right and the wrong loses its character. Ethics and morals are the basic pillars of a strong society,” he added.

Imran Khan urged the scholars to highlight the concept of Muslim societies of the history, where Islam was spread through intellectual power rather than wars.

The prime minister said the main objective of establishing the Rehmatul-Lil-Alameen Authority by him was to develop a deeper understanding of the Sunnah besides preservation of the Islamic identity, values, and culture in the face of diverse social and digital media influences.

Stressing the need for an “intellectual revolution” in the country, he said, the government would fully honour the scholars and promote them.

He said establishing the ‘Hall of Fame’ at PAL was an acknowledgment of the contribution of writers and intellectuals.