By: Karam Baloach
Despite claims of active role of NAB and Public Accounts Committee during the government’s campaign against corruption, Transparency International’s report that Pakistan has moved up four places (120 to 124) in the global corruption index is undoubtedly a matter of concern. In other countries of the world, India, Iran and Nepal scored one notch, while Malaysia dropped two notches. New Zealand and Denmark top the list with 88 points, while Somalia and South Sudan are the most corrupt with 12 points. The report suggests that Pakistan needs to improve its legislature, judiciary, executives and security. Welcoming the report of Transparency International, Prime Minister Imran Khan said that the data for the year 2017-18 was obtained in compiling the report. In the Corruption Perceptions Index for the year 2020, Pakistan was ranked 124th out of 180 countries. It was ranked 120th in the rankings. Transparency International has denied claims that it used old data to prepare the report, saying the data was collected in 2019 and a report was compiled on information about government and institutional corruption. Almost every government has denied such reports of the institutions and the opposition has fired arrows of sarcasm but there has been little effort to consider such reports with a cold heart. Even if the recent report is accepted based on inaccurate statistics, what about the people? Doesn’t the situation require the government to rein in corrupt elements that directly or indirectly cause public deprivation?