KARACHI: Corruption and corrupt practices prevalent in many spheres of our national life are eating away the very fabric of our society. No doubt corruption in political and economic spheres throughout the world is causing many ills, including bankruptcy in business establishments, Pakistan being an underdeveloped country is feeling the pinch of this menace with more severity.

With creation of the National Accountability Bureau by President General Pervez Musharraf, and the Ehtesab Bureau of Saifur Rahman by Nawaz Sharif, governments claimed to have achieved success in curbing corrupt practices, but the reality is not the same, as there were cases of victimisation of political opponents and people lost trust in the system as a whole.

In the past, lists of loan defaulters were published, but it paved ground for banks to write off bad debts. Not huge sums were recovered from corrupt politicians, bureaucrats and traders, and the country was still lagging behind in the race for development, and investment.

Businessmen interviewed by Dawn complained that they were most hit by corruption in utility agencies as one cannot start a business unless he pays huge sums for getting utility connections. According to them the land transactions do not materialise unless commission is paid to the board of revenue officials. Double allotment is a common example of rampant corruption all over the country, they said.

According to traders, it makes no difference if there is an elected government or a military setup, corruption prevails in many forms, and in certain cases, an office file does not move from one counter to the other unless commission is paid.

People believe that the award of a contract for construction of a road or a government building is not possible unless the contractor pays a certain percentage as gratification to a chain of the officers and clerks sitting in air-conditioned offices.

Claims and counterclaims have been made about transparency in the ongoing privatisation process. Critics of the government claim that various state-owned units have been disposed of on political grounds and that too at throwaway prices. There were also accusations that state units were given to favourites at very low prices. The example of Pakistan Steel is quoted as a test case because its privatisation had been declared null and void by the Supreme Court.

There is a long list of departments, such as customs, police, income tax, excise, and utility agencies, etc. where corruption is rampant creating problems for businessmen and industrialists and even for overseas Pakistanis who want to invest in their homeland.