In general, corruption is a form of dishonesty or criminal activity undertaken by a person or organization entrusted with a position of authority, often to acquire illicit benefits.
Corruption may include many activities, including bribery and embezzlement, though it may also involve practices that are legal in many countries. Political corruption occurs when an office-holder or other government employee acts in an official capacity for personal gain. Corruption is most commonplace in kleptocracies, oligarchies, narco-states and mafia states.
Corruption is an international phenomenon and a major cause of poverty in developing countries around the world. Naming countries may offend them, so I will not identify any particular one. But there is a growing realization among the general public that there is a need to fight against corruption.
Today the media is a strong pillar of power in the world and it exposes evil acts of corruption as well as the identities of corrupt elements in society. Some governments are trying to censor such media to hide their criminal acts. But social media is equally powerful and some governments may not be able to block them. Members of the general public have a good understanding of corruption and how to counter it.
Many countries have initiated drives to fight corruption, but few of them have made much progress. China leads in this area, successfully eliminating a high percentage of corruption. During his state visit to China, Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan learned about the Chinese experience rooting out corruption.
Pakistan, like many other developing nations, is severely cursed by corruption. Pakistan ranks 117 out of 180 countries in the International Transparency report for 2017. Since its independence, Pakistan has witnessed corruption regularly, but during its 70-year history, the most corrupt era was 2008-2013, when it amounted to US$94 billion.
For decades the anti-corruption laws failed to address the problem. However, on November 16, 1999, Ordinance XIX, which later came to be known as the National Accountability Bureau Ordinance, was passed. It called for the establishment of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) as an autonomous federal institution to drive efforts to combat corruption, financial crime and economic terrorism in Pakistan.
According to the ordinance, the NAB was granted the authority to launch investigations, conduct inquiries, and issue arrest warrants against individuals suspected of financial mismanagement, terrorism, and corruption in the private, state, defense and corporate sectors, and direct such cases to the accountability courts. Individuals convicted under the National Accountability Bureau Ordinance are prohibited from holding political office for 10 years.
Theoretically, Pakistan has the legal institutions and laws needed to control corruption. But some individuals are so powerful that they can flout the law
Theoretically, Pakistan has the legal institutions and laws needed to control corruption. But some individuals are so powerful that they can flout the law. In fact, the bureaucracy (civilian as well as military) has been involved in and supported corruption. Politicians have also been a major major cause of corruption. They have practiced nepotism and appointed their friends to important posts and used them as front men for corruption. They have even appointed their loyal friends to sensitive positions responsible for fighting corruption. Under such circumstances, it was impossible to eliminate corruption.
Fortunately, Prime Minister Khan is completely honest. Not even his political opponents can question his integrity. During his election campaign, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf pledged in its manifesto to eliminate corruption in this country. After winning the general election on July 25, the chairman of PTI became the prime minister of this country and after taking the oath, he launched a campaign against corruption as per his party’s manifesto.
Pakistan’s judiciary disqualified Nawaz Sharif, the former prime minister, and now he is behind bars on corruption charges. Asif Ali Zardari, the former president, and his team are under investigation for alleged corruption. It seems that the current government is determined to spare no one in its drive against corruption.
This campaign against corruption will be widened and may encircle senior bureaucrats, serving or retired, both civil and military. Politicians are already under investigation. Khan enjoys support from the masses and due to his strong personality, it is expected that he will succeed in his ongoing fight against the menace of corruption.
nice article
nice article
ZA: Greetings from Toronto
In 1970 I attended an open lecture on Corruption in Pakistan by Ali Tayyab, author of the 1964 “Geography of Pakistan” and a University of Toronto prestigious “University Professor” (of only 14 in all). He theorized then that corruption in developing countries is beneficial – to accumulate capital and to re-establishes Free Market prices twisted by government – a very sensible hypothesis. Thus, the solution to corruption is less government. State ownership and socialism only increases the chances of this cancer. As long there is government, corruption cannot be eliminated, Chinese and Iranian experience notwithstanding.
Corruption is doing things the un-natural way whether in spiritual, social, moral, sexual, intellectual, or financial dealings. It takes 2 to tango. Corruption begins with the giver who wants special treatment – mostly jumping the queue or wanting a favour. There is always a willing person to oblige.
In Pakistan, corruption did not begin in 1947, it was a British legacy. The departing British Indian Civil Service was corrupt to the core even if the Civil Service in Britain was cleansed of this evil in 1927, they say.
BTW the present Tehreek Insaf govt is the least capable of eliminating corruption since Jewish "Insaf" is a corruption of Quranic "Adl". There are no less than 20 Ayats condemning "insaf".
[4-95], [5-100], [6-50], [19-9], [24-11], [16-71], [16-75], [16-76], [32-18], [39-9], [39-29], [40-58], [41-34], [45-21], [57-10], [59-20] …
Expecting PTI to eliminate corruption is to hope for a wolf to guard the chicken coop.
ZA: Greetings from Toronto
In 1970 I attended an open lecture on Corruption in Pakistan by Ali Tayyab, author of the 1964 “Geography of Pakistan” and a University of Toronto prestigious “University Professor” (of only 14 in all). He theorized then that corruption in developing countries is beneficial – to accumulate capital and to re-establishes Free Market prices twisted by government – a very sensible hypothesis. Thus, the solution to corruption is less government. State ownership and socialism only increases the chances of this cancer. As long there is government, corruption cannot be eliminated, Chinese and Iranian experience notwithstanding.
Corruption is doing things the un-natural way whether in spiritual, social, moral, sexual, intellectual, or financial dealings. It takes 2 to tango. Corruption begins with the giver who wants special treatment – mostly jumping the queue or wanting a favour. There is always a willing person to oblige.
In Pakistan, corruption did not begin in 1947, it was a British legacy. The departing British Indian Civil Service was corrupt to the core even if the Civil Service in Britain was cleansed of this evil in 1927, they say.
BTW the present Tehreek Insaf govt is the least capable of eliminating corruption since Jewish "Insaf" is a corruption of Quranic "Adl". There are no less than 20 Ayats condemning "insaf".
[4-95], [5-100], [6-50], [19-9], [24-11], [16-71], [16-75], [16-76], [32-18], [39-9], [39-29], [40-58], [41-34], [45-21], [57-10], [59-20] …
Expecting PTI to eliminate corruption is to hope for a wolf to guard the chicken coop.
Thank you. I need your support and encouragement.
Thank you. I need your support and encouragement.
Thank you. I can understand your views. Regards.
Thank you. I can understand your views. Regards.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Twenty citations against Insaf is news to me!
Twenty citations against Insaf is news to me!
Zamir Awan Support I can not offer but on base of my reading and discussion on corruption with aware researchers I see this article to be prophetically spot on.
Zamir Awan Support I can not offer but on base of my reading and discussion on corruption with aware researchers I see this article to be prophetically spot on.
Zamir Awan
Pak Establishment is the English medium Western leaning types, lately made increasingly unwelcome in the West by terrorism, thus feels newly dis-empowered. They are corrupt to the hilt, their spiritual corruption (Reham Khan’s book only confirms it) engenders all other corruptions – sexual, social, moral, intellectual, financial.
Pakistan is corrupt because its key people are so. The only way corruption can be beaten is by punishing those who give TWICE than the takers, a thing that PTI will never do. Punishing your own is political suicide.
Still, IK is the necessary evil. His unsavoury legacy will be the old system destroyed just as Trump is doing in USA. It will take a larger soul than an aging playboy cricketer to re-build a new one once the old is gone.
Zamir Awan
Pak Establishment is the English medium Western leaning types, lately made increasingly unwelcome in the West by terrorism, thus feels newly dis-empowered. They are corrupt to the hilt, their spiritual corruption (Reham Khan’s book only confirms it) engenders all other corruptions – sexual, social, moral, intellectual, financial.
Pakistan is corrupt because its key people are so. The only way corruption can be beaten is by punishing those who give TWICE than the takers, a thing that PTI will never do. Punishing your own is political suicide.
Still, IK is the necessary evil. His unsavoury legacy will be the old system destroyed just as Trump is doing in USA. It will take a larger soul than an aging playboy cricketer to re-build a new one once the old is gone.