SWABI, Dec 2: Speakers at a seminar on Friday urged political parties to work for eradication of corruption from the society to ensure political stability and prosperity in the country.

Speaking on ‘Corruption in Our Society and Responsibility of the Leadership’ at the Government Postgraduate College, Swabi, here on Friday, Mohammad Usman, former Jamaat-i-Islami MNA, said the leaders, who managed to control corruption, led their nations to economic stability and prosperity.

He said dictators, who had ruled the country most of the time since independence, promoted corrupt practices and weakened democracy.

“There is an urgent need of reforming the entire system. If our mangers fail to do so, we’ll continue facing socioeconomic crisis,” he said. He said he offered to quit politics if a single rupee corruption proved by anyone against him.

MPA Javed Khan of Swabi Jamhoori Ittehad said the ruling Awami National Party had failed to contain corruption in the province.

“Our province tops the countrywide corruption chart. We raised the issue on the floor of the assembly on numerous occasions but no one from the government was ready to hear us,” he said.

The MPA said he along with his colleagues strongly felt that it should be the first and foremost priority of the government to end corruption. “All resources should be used for the people’s welfare. I fail to understand why we ignore the people after being elected to the assembly,” he said.

Shahram Tarakai said he remained a district nazim for over four years and tried to maintain a direct contact with the people to check corruption. He said corruption was rampant in local government system but he managed to cut it considerably in the district.

“I refused to get the fund which I thought might fall into corrupt hands. And returning of the World Bank development fund is an instance of it,” he said.

Sohail Babar, division nazim of Islami Jamiat Tulaba, said the government representatives had promised time and again that student unions would be restored but that promises later turned out to be false.