ISLAMABAD: Anti-corruption organisations of Pakistan and China will jointly monitor the $46 billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) and its related projects to ensure transparency and avoid chances of corruption.

Both countries will soon sign a memorandum of understanding (MoU) for anti-corruption cooperation and the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) Chairman, Qamar Zaman Chaudhry, will fly to China this month to sign the document.

This was stated by the NAB chairman while addressing a seminar on “Transparency in National Projects” here on Thursday. He said that Pakistan and China would ensure transparency and fairness in all projects being executed or to be launched under the CPEC.

Almost all road projects of the CPEC are being executed by the National Highway Authority (NHA) and concerns have been raised that in several such projects alleged irregularities and discrepancies have been committed.

Recently, the NAB chairman visited China to attend a UN convention on corruption, organised by the International Association of Anti-Corruption Authorities, and met Prof Cao Jianming, Prosecutor General of China, on the sidelines of the convention.

The NAB chief said that during his meeting with Chinese officials it was agreed that anti-corruption work would be given top priority to curb corruption in the huge development projects being built by the two countries under the CPEC.

The NAB chairman called for transparency in national projects, strong political will and electing honest public representatives to diminish chances of corruption.

“Corruption in government funds spending has a negative impact on development programmes and results in perpetual increase in the cost of production of any development project and its maintenance,” he said.

The seminar was organised by NAB in collaboration with the NHA at the authority’s auditorium.

“Eradication of corruption will remain an elusive idea unless we have a strong political will to wipe out the scourge and elect honest public representatives who carry out this gigantic task without fear of the mighty and influential people,” the NAB chairman said.

Published in Dawn, June 3rd, 2016