Corruption in Pakistan
Corruption perception index 2024=135 with a score of 27 which was 133 with a
score of 29 in 2023.
Definition:
1. Corruption, as it is defined by the World Bank, is a form of dishonesty or a
criminal offense which is undertaken by a person or an organization which is
entrusted with a position of authority, in order to acquire illicit benefits or abuse
power for one's private gain.
2. Example thesis statement: the termite of corruption has eaten away the social
and moral fabric of the society which has brought Pakistan a country having
enormous potential for prosperity on the edge of destruction by paralyzing the
state institutions; however the menace of corruption can be countered through
effective policy making to strengthen the foundations of the country in order to
make Pakistan a prosperous country which was dreamed at the time of its
inception.
Introduction:
Corruption is the mother of all ills, gives birth to multifarious problems including
nepotism, favouritism, and negating meritocracy, transparency and accountability.
Cruelty breeds when rule of law is abrogated. Banking scam, bypassing constitutional
laws, neglect and an attitude of indifference towards the national issues are the
outcome of corruption which in turn is the root cause of all evils. The poor are sidelined,
the rich are bestowed, the needy are ignored and the affluent are delivered. All the
system is prone to the monster of corruption. Only lucrative and emotionally charged
speeches and pledges can never come up to the expectations of the people. Rule of
law is the only option to eradicate corruption by ensuring accountability.
Types of Corruption based on amount of money lost and the sector where it
occurs.
Petty corruption
Petty corruption occurs at a smaller scale and takes place at the implementation end of
public services when public officials meet the public. For example, in many small places
such as registration offices, police stations, state licensing boards and many other
private and government sectors.
Political Corruption
Political corruption occurs when an office-holder or other governmental employee acts
in an official capacity for personal gain.
Grand corruption
Grand corruption is defined as corruption occurring at the highest levels of government
in a way that requires significant subversion of the political, legal and economic
systems. Such corruption is commonly found in countries with authoritarian or dictatorial
governments but also in those without adequate policing of corruption.
Famous Quotations
1. Corruption is paid by the poor” — Pope Francis.
2. Fighting corruption is not just good governance. It's self-defense. It's patriotism.
Joe Biden
3. Corruption is just another form of tyranny. Joe Biden
4. I will not let anyone walk through my mind with their dirty feet. Mahatma Gandhi
Background
Corruption in Pakistan is widespread and extends to every sector from government to
judiciary, police, health services and education. The problems are long-standing, and
despite ongoing calls for reform, and many attempts to improve the situation, there is
little evidence of progress. The current government of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf led by
cricketer turned politician Imran Khan vowed to uproot corruption from all sectors.
However, there is little success in bringing accountability across the board.
Corruption by Sector
Judiciary
In 2002, in a report titled "Nature and Extent of Corruption in the Public Sector",
Transparency International (TI) Pakistan reported that the highest amounts of bribery
were spent on people affiliated with the judiciary. Later in 2010, TI Pakistan presented a
breakdown of the various actors in the judicial system involved in corruption. A majority
of the participants reported that they, or someone in their household, has been
subjected to an act of corruption while interacting with someone from the judiciary.
When asked of the actors involved, 33.62% people said court employees, 23.73% said
public prosecutors, 14.12% said witnesses, 12.43% said judges, 8.19% said opponent
lawyer, 4.52% said magistrates while 3.39% mentioned others. In a 2011 survey, TI
Pakistan identified judiciary as the most corrupt institution in Pakistan alongside police.
Education
In the 2010, TI Pakistan reported that about 23.7% of those surveyed received
admission in educational institutions through non-normal and alternate procedures.[54]
One of the biggest problems identified in the country is the presence of a non-uniform
educational system.[55] The private sector actively encourages western educational
models such as the General Certificate of Secondary Education using this to justify
unaffordable fees they charge ordinary citizens.[56] Finding gain in such enterprises,
the elite class amongst politicians, technocrats, bureaucrats and businessmen usually
capitalise in this venture. These attitudes can also explain the deteriorating standards in
the public sector educational institutes. On the other hand, state-owned public schools
face several challenges including poor management and governance, and
incompetence of consecutive governments in the education sector. Further factors for
failing standards in state-run institutions include lack of funding, non-utilization by elite
classes, appointments of under-qualified faculty.
For a brief time during the regime of Pervez Musharraf, Pakistan received
unprecedented investments in its higher-education sector – this funding faltered with the
arrival of Zardari's government after 2008.[58] In 2011, Dr Syed Abdul Aziz, director of
Hamdard Institute of Education and Social Sciences declared education as one of the
most corrupt sectors in Pakistan.[59] According to 2013 findings by Transparency
International, factor that contribute to this corrupt culture in the sector include
embezzlement of development funds allocated by the government, thousands of ghost
schools that appear only on paper, bribes taken to sell confidential material to
candidates, poor or underutilization of funds and an inertia to change on the behalf of
the education ministry.
Health care
In 2010, 42% of surveyed individuals reported gaining access to hospital services by a
method other than standard admission, and 48% reported either having to pay
additional costs for essential services or being forced to utilize the services of a
designated affiliate.
Police and law enforcement
Corruption is found to be commonplace in the lower levels of police.[62] Police was
observed as the most corrupt sector in a 2013 survey by Transparency International
(TI).[63] This situation has persisted since the graft watchdog's July 2010 survey,[64] in
which it was noted that the major cause for corruption in this sector was due to a lack of
accountability and merit, and low salaries.[62] Payment of bribes in order to escape and
avoid charges was also commonplace.
Ordinary citizens face challenges in reporting instances of corruption they encounter
with the police. In 2005, Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz ordered an investigation into
claims by a 23-year-old woman who alleged that, in retaliation for attempting to reveal
police corruption, police falsely detained her for fifteen days and raped her.
Sports corruption
In August 2010, reporters from News of the World orchestrated a sting operation which
was able to identify three Pakistani cricket players – Salman Butt, Mohammad Asif and
Mohammad Amir – and a bookmaker Mazhar Majeed of being complicit in a row over
spot-fixing in the fourth England-Pakistan test match at Lord's.[69] The cricketers each
received 30 months, one year and six months jail term respectively while the bookmaker
received two years and eight months jail term in a verdict issued by the Southwark
Crown Court on November 3, 2011.
Taxation
According to the 2002 study, 99% of 256 respondents reported facing corruption of
taxation. Furthermore, 32% of respondents reported paying bribes to have their tax
assessment lowered, and nearly 14% reported receiving fictitious tax assessments until
a bribe was paid.
Causes of Corruption
Political Causes of Corruption:
1. Absence of culture of Accountability
2. Incompetent Judiciary failed to bring corrupt politician to books.
3. Highly centralized economic system in which the wealth is concentrated in few
hands and upper class uses its influence to get maximum profit.
4. Absence of rule of law.
5. Punctuated constitutional supremacy
6. Higher levels of bureaucracy and inefficient administrative structures
Socio-economic causes:
1. High inflation and food crisis
2. Meager salaries of government servants
3. Class conflict due to capitalism
4. Evasion of ethical and religious values
5. Nepotism and favouritism
6. Feudalism means control of landlords.
7. Non-transparent system
8. Poverty
9. Poor governance
10. Poor performance on the part of institutions as people are elected based on
favouritism.
Impacts of corruption
1. political regime weakens and believe of people on democracy perishes
2. crime rate increases
3. tarnished image of the society
4. discouraging FDI
5. nepotism… order of the day
6. problem of good governance
7. economic fallout
8. destruction of state legitimacy
9. NRO
10. Decrease in tax collection as some people are benefitted by favouritism and in
return they provide gains to people who provide them favour.
11. Incompetent servants
Steps to curb corruption
1. Emancipating Accountability
2. Ethical counselling through education
3. Ensuring meritocracy instead of red Tapism
4. Enhancing transparency
5. Change of individual mindset from money-oriented outlook with a value-oriented
code of life.
6. Honest leadership.
7. Increase in salaries of government employees
8. Implementing law in its true letter and spirit.
9. Improving and strengthening of the judicial system.
10. Institutional reforms: Tax systems, customs, public administration in general;
11. Anti-corruption efforts
Prevention of Corruption Acts: 1947, 1950 and 1958
The Prevention of Corruption Act, 1947 implemented in the Dominion of Pakistan
was enacted to make effective provisions for the prevention of bribery and corruption
of public servants, particularly in the bureaucratic administration. The autonomous
Princely State of Bahawalpur adopted its own version of the act, namely the
Bahawalpur Prevention of Corruption Act, 1950. In 1955, an accord was signed
between Nawab Sadiq Mohammad Khan V and Lt Gen Ghulam Muhammad Malik
which made the state of Bahawalpur a part of the province of West Pakistan.
Subsequently, in October 1958, an ordinance was passed to extend the act to the
whole of the province of West Pakistan – this is known as the Prevention of
Corruption Act (West Pakistan Extension) Ordinance, 1958. This ordinance
extended the scope of the original to the districts of Karat, Kharan, Makran and
Lasbela and also repealed the Bahawalpur Prevention of Corruption Act, 1950.
National Accountability Bureau Ordinance, 1999
On 16 November 1999, Ordinance XIX was passed which later came to be known
as the National Accountability Bureau Ordinance. It called for the establishment of
the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) as an autonomous federal institution
building efforts to combat cases of corruption, financial crimes and economic
terrorism in Pakistan. According to the ordinance, NAB was granted authority to
launch investigations, conduct inquiries, and issue arrest warrants against
individuals suspected in financial mismanagement, terrorism, corruption in private,
state, defence and corporate sectors), and direct such cases to accountability
courts. Individuals convicted under the National Accountability Bureau Ordinance
are prohibited from holding political office for ten years.
FIA
FIA came into being in 1975 to investigate the corruption cases.
Conclusion:
Corruption is a social curse which must be ditched. The lawmakers in the parliament
should take stringent steps to mitigate corruption. Rule of law, supremacy of constitution
and independence of judiciary should be implemented in true letter and spirit. Media
should play a significant role in highlighting the corruption scandals. Drastic measures
are need of hour to punish the culprits. If Pakistan wants to run in the race of socio-
economic development, evils like corruption do not fit the picture.
CORRUPTION IN PAKISTAN
OUTLINE
Introduction
Corruption is rampant in Pakistan.
It is found in every department of the state and at all levels from peon to the head of
department.
Causes of Corruption
Illiteracy
Feudal mindset
Poverty
Lack of transparency
Absence of self-accountability
Poor role of civil society and NGOs
Politicization of government departments
Scarcity of strict laws
Passive role of corruption checking departments
Discretionary powers of governmental Absence of awareness among the masses
Conducive culture for corruption
Effects a Corruption breeds bad governance
It hampers economic development
It augments crime rate in society
It adds to the woes of common man
It increases dependence of country on other states
It reduces cost recovery ratio
It erodes social capital
Corruption can propel disasters of great magnitude
It hinders political evolution of the country
it creates political instability
It tarnishes the image of country e a It affects FDI
Remedies
Perfect rule of law can mitigate corruption
Feudalism should be done away with sustained and effective democracy makes
corruption impossible
Poverty and illiteracy can be extirpated to root out corruption
Active role of investigative media and NGOs can nip this evil in the bud
Active and independent judiciary can make the country corruption free
Suitable salaries of public servants will discourage corruption
Role of civil society, writers and literates can put an end to corruption
Conclusion
ESSAY
Corruption is rampant in Pakistan. It is prevalent in every field in the country. It casts
dire consequences on politics, economy, development, and social life of people. It
hinders the way of progress and prosperity in the country. It is a worldwide
phenomenon. Many countries of the world are faced with this issue. Pakistan needs to
curtail the menace of corruption to progress in the modern world. Otherwise, it will not
be able become a developed country. Some people believe that only government
servants are involved in corruption. But the reality is that the whole nation is facing this
issue. One may easily find corruption in different fields of life. This cancer can only be
cured when every citizen stands against it.
Illiteracy generates corruption. An illiterate person is deprived of the sense of
differentiating between right and wrong. He is not aware of his rights. He wants to earn
money without caring for its means. An illiterate person easily falls a prey to criminal
activities to fulfil his desires. He also pays bribes to save himself from punishment for
his crimes. So, illiteracy favor corruption.
Feudal mind-set is also responsible for corruption in Pakistan. Feudal lords to get their
material ends use government officials by offering them bribes. They hinder the way of
education and development in their area. Such activities are a threat to their feudal
supremacy. So, feudal mind-set is causing corruption in the country. Poverty also
breeds corruption. Poor people want to get rid of poverty. They want to become rich
overnight. They run behind the money and cross moral values for its attainment. To fulfil
their desires, they snatch the rights of others.
Similarly, lack of transparency is also responsible for corruption. Corrupt officials misuse
their powers and do not follow a transparent way of executing their official work. They
do not use public funds for the betterment of common man. They embezzle these funds
to achieve their whims and wishes. In this age of materialism, people lack sense of self-
accountability. People have forgotten that one day they will have to answer Allah
Almighty for their deeds. Corrupt people do not sweep before their own doors and
accuse others of corruption.
Poor and irresponsible role of civil society and other social organizations encourage
corruption. Civil society does not check corrupt practices in government departments
and private organizations. This irresponsible attitude fails to hinder the way of
monstrous corruption. Politicization of government departments also fosters corruption.
Government officials get their transfers and postings with the help of politicians.
Politicians use such officials for their own ends. Corrupt politicians want the officials of
their own choice in their constituencies. They force the government officials to work
according to their dictation. They do not bear an honest officer who does not follow their
commands. They force such an officer to leave a particular area by getting him
transferred.
Likewise, discretionary powers of government officials are a key to corruption. It is
rightly said, “Authority corrupts and absolute authority corrupts absolutely.” Owing to
absolute power in their hands, corrupt officers humiliate masses. They force them to
pay bribes even for their rights. Thus, absolute power in the hands of corrupt officers is
a key to corruption. The laws in the country are not strict to deal with the corrupt
practices of corrupt people. There are flaws and loopholes in the laws regarding
corruption. Corrupt officials are not dealt with strict laws. Rather, they are not accounted
for it.
Passive role of corruption checking departments gives rise to corruption. The
departments like Anti-Corruption and FIA have failed to root out corruption. These
departments are themselves corrupt. They set free corrupt officials after getting bribes.
So, the corruption checking departments have patronized corruption. Lack of awareness
among masses has also increased the curse of Corruption. People are not aware of
their rights. They are forced to offer bribes even for their legitimate work. This lack of
awareness adds fuel to fire.
Furthermore, culture is conducive for corruption in Pakistan. A corrupt person instead of
being ashamed of his act feels proud of his corrupt deeds. People are respected due to
their wealth and not because of their character, this phenomenon leads corrupt people
to become proud of their wealth. Besides, whistle-blowers are not protected for
exposing corruption in several departments. Government offers no protection to such
people. They are kidnapped or killed. In some cases, they are thrown out of the country.
So, monster of corruption remains unaffected.
As every problem has some effects, corruption breeds bad governance. Corrupt officials
are not sincere with their duties. They do go out of the way and sacrifice rule of law.
Consequently, bad governance is generated. So, corruption breeds bad governance.
Corruption hampers economic development in the country. The funds for public welfare
and developmental projects are embezzled. Thus, the public money goes into the
pockets of corrupt people and development does not take place in the country.
Apart from it, corruption augments crime in society. Corrupt officials in judiciary and
police sell justice. Criminals commit crimes because they know they will be able to buy
law by offering bribes. Thus, crime rate increases which disturbs the fabric of society.
Common people suffer at the hands of criminals. So, corruption augments crime
society. It adds to the woes of common man. Common man is badly affected by
corruption Influential people buy law and easily get their ends served. But a layman
must pass through procedures which are corrupt. He even must pay for small things.
So, corruption adds to the difficulties of common man.
Corruption increases country’s dependence on other states. Corruption in the
management of resources and collection of taxes badly affects budget of the country.
As a result, country must take loans and depends on other countries for financial
assistance. Corruption reduces cost recovery ratio. Country invests in several projects
to get benefit out of them. But corruption in the executing process increases
expenditures. Thus, the country must accept low recovery of cost.
Besides that, it erodes social capital and people lose their trust on the state and its
institutions due to corruption. Their patriotism level goes down. Brain drain also takes
place. So, corruption erodes social capital. Corruption can propel disasters of great
magnitude. Corruption in construction department has long-lasting effects. The use of
defective material results in collapse of buildings. In these incidents, human lives are
lost, and property receives huge setback too. In this way, corruption can propel
disasters of great magnitude.
Corruption hinders political evolution in the country. Corrupt political parties sell their
tickets. These tickets are purchased by non-elected and vicious people. They also buy
electorates to make their success obvious. Such bad character people become a part of
assemblies. There, they do not represent people but their own mafias. They work to
achieve their material benefits. These non-elected representatives reduce the changes
of political evolution in the country.
In the same manner, corruption brings political instability in the county. Corrupt
politicians want to achieve their own goals. Corrupt officials have their own ends to be
materialized. So, there occurs a competition between the corrupt politicians and the
corrupt officials to gab the resources of the country which results in clash of institutions.
This clash of institutions gives vent to political instability in the country.
Corruption tarnishes the image of country in the world. Organizations like Transparency
International rank countries according to their level of transparency or corruption. In this
way, corruption in the country is highlighted at international level which tarnishes the
image of state. Country loses its respect owing to corruption. It reduces FDI in the
country. International companies, investors and states do not take interest in investing
and establishing their business units in corrupt prevailing system. Corruption free
system is necessary for attracting FDI. A corrupt system itself impedes the flow of FDI in
the country.
As every problem has some remedies, Perfect rule of law can mitigate corruption. Strict
observance of law and exemplary punishments to corrupt people can help in this
regard. Violators of law can never be exempted. They can be subjected to severe
punishments. So, rule of law can make Pakistan corruption free.
In addition, feudalism should be done away with to save Pakistan from prevalent
corruption. Feudal lords never let education flourish and prosper in their areas. They
want to keep people illiterate for the maintenance of their supremacy. They never allow
economic development in rural areas and thus breed corruption. Feudalism must be
curtailed to make Pakistan corruption free.
Sustained and effective democracy makes corruption impossible. In democratic set up,
the distribution of power is equal which hinders the way of corruption. Moreover, strict
opposition keeps an eye over the policies of ruling party. Institutions play their role
efficiently to curb corruption in society. Thus, democracy results in the death of
corruption. Poverty may be called the root cause of corruption. Illiteracy adds fuel to fire.
Education should be provided to each segment of society. New industries can be
established for economic development. The government can take effective steps to
extirpate poverty and illiteracy.
Adding more to it, positive, impartial, and patriotic role of media is the need of hour to
get rid of corruption. Investigative media can put a check on the policies of government
and private organizations. It can sincerely expose their weaknesses to bring
improvement in their policies. Such role of media can curtail corruption in the country.
Several NGOs can also be instrumental in rooting out corruption from society.
In the same fashion, an independent and active judiciary can cut the roots of corruption.
Judiciary cannot only punish the wrongdoers, but it can also check activities of
influential people involved in corruption. Fortunately, judiciary is active and free in
Pakistan. It has taken some concrete steps to abolish corruption. One can hope that it
will continue its efforts to root out corruption from the country.
Finally, public servants can be given suitable salaries to fulfil all their needs. When civil
servants will have all their needs fulfilled, they cannot easily fall a prey to bribes. So,
civil servants can be given handsome salaries and facilities to play their part in
eradicating corruption from society. Civil society can also play a pivotal role in bringing
awareness among people for their rights. People who are aware of their rights try to get
their rights accordingly. They can reduce corruption in the country. The eminent writers
and literati can also urge people through their writings to fight against corruption. To
sum up, it can be said that corruption is rampant in Pakistan. It has wreaked havoc in
the country. It is found in all the fields of life. It has certain causes. If, however, concrete
steps are taken to root it out, it will lose its ground forever.
