ERADICATING CORRUPTION IN PAKISTAN
- The best way forward
Eliminating Corruption from all segments of society was recently identified as a major priority objective by Prime Minister Imran Khan in his first address to the nation. “We will enact a law for whistleblowers like we did in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Whoever helps identify corruption will get a share of the money that we recover. The SECP and the FIA will be fixed on a priority basis,” he said. This new optimism and seriousness given to the matter by Khan’s government was welcomed across the board with some of his major critiques applauding his commitment to issues of great urgency.
For indeed nowadays, massive corruption in our country is so evident that it has completely shattered the very fabric of this society. And before I consider some radical proposals in resolving the problem. It is essentially vital to review the phenomenon of corruption in its historical and political context. In Pakistan white-collar crime had its roots in the 1950s, starting from settlement of refugee claims, industrial sanctions and allotment of agricultural lands. By the time of Independence in 1947 increase of corruption by public officials became much noticeable. And sadly, during the last 10 years all elected governments have fallen due to massive political corruption. This increasing role of money in Pakistani politics has brought in a new class of wealthy businessmen turned politicians who have shamelessly strived for saving their business interest over the national economic advantage. Many governments in the past have attempted accountability drive in some form or other but these could not really materialise into potent effort to check the spread of corruption in the society.
Some of the main reasons for this failure were the misuse of investigation agencies by successive governments as well as the incompatible legal judicial system. Public funds have responsible officers whose function includes ensuring that these funds are protected from abuse and misuse. However, when this abuse and misuse of public funds was detected nothing was done to those who were responsible. This was indeed root cause of all loopholes in fight against corruption.
Quaid- e- Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah, The founder of Pakistan, in his first address to the constituent assembly of Pakistan on August 11, 1947 stated, “One of the biggest curses from which India is suffering — I do not say that other countries are free from it, but I think our condition is much worse — is bribery and corruption. That really is a poison. We must put it down with iron hand. Black-marketing is another curse. A citizen who does black-marketing commits a greater crime that the biggest and the most grievous crime. The next thing that strikes to me is jobbery and nepotism. I want to make it clear that I will never tolerate any kind of jobbery, nepotism. If we want to make this great state of Pakistan, happy and prosperous, we should wholly and solely concentrate on the well-being of the people, especially of the masses and the poor.”
AUGUST 31, 2018 BY FIZZA ALI