PESHAWAR: The National Accountability Bureau has planned to create public awareness, especially among youths and students, against corruption.

Chairing a meeting of the organisation’s Awareness and Prevention Wing here on Friday, NAB Khyber Pakhtunkhwa director general Farmanullah Khan asked the provincial government to arrange awareness sessions and public events across the province, especially in the tribal districts, to mark Dec 9 as the Anti-Corruption Day.

A news release quoted him as saying that the awareness and prevention aspect of the NAB strategy had played an important role in eradicating corruption from society.

Official insists bureau focusing on graft cases instead of faces

He said under the programme, the bureau was making all-out efforts to create awareness in the society of the adverse effects of corruption.

Mr Farmanullah said the bureau had formulated a comprehensive plan to observe the Anti-Corruption Day to convey the message against corruption to all and sundry.

He said the Anti-Corruption Day was celebrated all over the world and therefore, the awareness and prevention wing should make efforts to hold seminars, workshops, conference, declamation contests, posters and painting competition, and walks against corruption at provincial and district levels and in schools, seminaries, colleges and universities.

The official said the NAB had written a letter to the provincial chief secretary and additional chief secretary Fata to observe the Anti-Corruption Day in the province, especially tribal districts.

“Several competitions such as Urdu and English essay writing, poster painting, Urdu and English declamation contests will be held by the NAB among the divisional level contest winners,” he said.

Mr Farmanullah said the NAB was striving to make reforms in various public sector departments including health, education, procurement and prison ones in the province.

He added that the NAB chairman had constituted the prevention committees under Section 33-C of the NAO 1999 for the purpose in collaboration with the relevant departments.

The official appreciated the KP NAB officials for arranging activities for public awareness of the adverse effects of corruption under the supervision of the director (awareness and prevention).

He said the NAB was focusing on building the character of youths, while a long-term strategy was being formulated to convince them to hate corruption.

Mr Farmanullah said corruption was poison for the nation and therefore, it should be fought for the country’s prosperity and development.

He said the KP NAB was focusing on corruption cases instead of faces and accountability of all.

“The slogan “NAB ka emaan corruption-free Pakistan’ will be turned into reality through a three-pronged strategy i.e. awareness, prevention and enforcement,” he said.

The official said the future of Pakistan was bright, while the NAB would succeed in eliminating corruption with the help of civil society.

Published in Dawn, November 3rd, 2018