Is Pakistan really the 15th most corrupt country in the world? Even if that’s not true, corruption is an issue which is eating away at the soul of our society for long
A FEW days ago, two members of the National Assembly gave a statement on the floor of the house regarding the inability of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) to curb corruption. They stated that since Pakistan has been declared the 15th most corrupt country of the world, NAB should be abandoned. According to them we need to have very harsh laws to deal with the issue of accountability and zero tolerance viz-a-viz corrupt elements. To emphasize their point, they quoted the Chinese example where, “corrupt man is simply brought before the firing squad and gunned down”.
This statement was issued in the wake of the Transparency International’s (TI) publication of a list of most corrupt countries of the world. It is interesting to note that the TI’s determination of a country’s corruptibility is “perceived” and it may or may not be an accurate reflection of things on the ground. However, the statement of the worthy MNA made me ponder over the entire gamut of corruption and the governance paradigm prevailing in our country. It reinforced my belief that we as individuals, and probably as a nation, do not face the reality in the eye and conveniently pass the buck to others.
These lines are not in defence of NAB’s so-called efforts and claims to combat corruption. After all, it is merely one organization perceived to be created by the present military government to execute an important item of General Musharaf’s infamous 7-point agenda with regard to eliminating the menace of corruption from Pakistan. Despite its various acts of perceived selectivity in investigating the affairs of certain powerful institutions and individuals, it is probably not fair to pin down the entire reason for Pakistan’s present standing in TI’s list because of NAB’s inefficiency.
Perception of corruption is created by many factors. There are many institutions, which are directly related to creating a lasting image of a nation. Any foreign visitor coming to Pakistan perceives the state of governance in terms of its very first encounter with such agencies as immigration, customs, police, and the ubiquitous taxi driver at the airport. These and other state- run and private organizations and members of society at large affect the perception of a country’s level of corruption. No single anti-corruption organization has the capability to ‘fix up’ everybody.
Focusing on the image of the police in Pakistan reveals the fact that it is perceived as the most corrupt organization. Unfortunately, other organizations may be equally or more corrupt than the police, but because of its high visibility and direct interaction with society at large, it causes major damage to the country’s image. Over the past many years a disturbing trend has been observed in the working of the police force in terms of its collusion with criminal elements of society. Here it is pertinent to quote from an investigation report published in the October issue of a monthly magazine. It states that on August 23 two under custody dacoits namely, Ameer Zada and Saleem Khan, were burnt to death in the lock up of the Gizri police station, in Karachi. Police officials claimed that the two committed suicide. The report reveals that investigation into these deaths pointed out that both ‘senior and junior police officials are increasingly aiding and abetting Karachi’s criminals with impunity’.
The police inquiry report states that the suspected decoits were part of a two-member gang that worked in collusion with senior and junior police officials. The horrifying aspect of the report is that it has identified the names of a DSP Asghar Usman and sub-inspector Arif Usman as officials operating in tandem with dacoits. The report also stated that Asghar Usman’s gunman constable Badshah Khan was the operational head of the gang. Another police report implies that the SSP investigation zone-1, Manzoor Mughal has been protecting Badshah Khan.
The same issue of the magazine has carried out another story under the title, ‘Thick as Thieves’ pointing out how these corrupt Karachi police officials are protecting an international criminal in return for a share in a multimillion euro pie. The story covers a recent incident regarding a multimillion euro fraud by a Pakistani national Umar Farooq Zahoor. He defrauded a Turkish company of 9.37 million euros. The head of Turkish company Erhan Kanioglulari, president of the Turkish Erka Group visited Karachi in connection with the investigation of this case on the special intercession of Turkish Embassy and Sindh Governor Dr Ishrat ul Ibad.
The report graphically explains how senior police officers like SP Farooq Awan and DSP Qazi Chand were seen pocketing bundles of US dollars and ultimately declaring Zahoor as “innocent”. Frustrated, Erhan had to register an FIR accusing Zahoor of fraud and nominating SP Awan and SSP Mughal as the co- accused. Karachi City police officer Tariq Jameel has ordered the registration of FIR and appointed SSP Abbasi to oversee the case.
Such heinous and shameless criminal acts committed by high and mighty of the police department reflect very badly on the state of police in Pakistan. Such incidents not only contribute to the negative image of the country, but also destroy investors’ confidence in Pakistan.
Some of the latest statements by the prime minister and the president boast about Pakistan having a thriving investment climate. But while macro economic indicators may be pointing out some silver lining in the economy of the country, the instances of police brutalities and illegalities shatter any hope of the economic revival in the country.
Thus we as a nation should take the TI’s rating of Pakistan as 15th most corrupt country as a challenge and instead of accusing one organization or individual for all the corruption and mismanagement, we should take the initiative and do, whatever we in our personal capacity can, to improve the situation.
It is expected that the worthy parliamentarians, instead of issuing high sounding statements, should start a debate on corruption on the floor of the house. They should discuss and debate the phenomena of corruption in its entirety. They should have the moral and constitutional courage to call the heads of various departments including law enforcement agencies like NAB and the police and confront them with facts and figures and hold them accountable. It is the only civilized and sustainable way of conducting the business of the state in a decent and honourable manner. Mere issuance of strongly worded statements carrying a lot of emotions and rhetoric will signify nothing, but only add to the present level of cynicism in the country.
Is Pakistan really the 15th most corrupt country in the world? Even if that’s not true, corruption is an issue which is eating away at the soul of our society for long
