In Pakistan, governments have long tried to reduce corruption in the country. In 1999, National Accountability Bureau (NAB) was established by Musharraff government. NAB was responsible for elimination of corruption through a holistic approach of awareness, prevention and enforcement. However, most NAB cases were against political leaders, which resulted in negligible impact on overall corruption both in the public and private sector.
Few months ago, a major national newspaper The News reported on massive corruption in the public sector organizations. The report said: “Government decisions, in total disregard to merit, fair play and transparency, based on personal monetary gains for a few individuals in the government have grossly compounded the economic miseries of Pakistan and turned several government organizations into insolvent corporate entities.”
The report also challenges the elected government by suggesting:
“Positioning of several handpicked corrupt and incompetent officials in key appointments at the government-run companies, in many cases without an active approval of Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani, has left a trail of incredible cases of corruption never witnessed before.”
The same newspaper has given an analysis from a Transparency International report. It quotes from the TI report that that corruption eats away Rs500 billion per year in Pakistan.
Published Date: November 25, 2009