By: Asem Mustafa
Out of 180 countries Pakistan now stands at 124th while India is placed at 85 in the Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI), this is the report of Transparency International which has raised hue and cry from many quarters.
The reason being Pakistan has gone down on the index by four places means that corruption has been on the rise. While, the reason for falling down is that the writ of the state is being ignored and people became more powerful than that of the state, the balance is lost and so is the law and accountability.
The recent list of over 200 dons of Lahore has raised many eyebrows as these powerful people have acted outside the law. Usurping the state land and making use of public resources has been an established norm for the powerful big wigs who always act ‘above the law’.
The downfall of national institutions owing to political appointment is a sad tale, which depicts that all is not right; to name a few Pakistan Steel Mills, Pakistan Railways, Pakistan International Airlines have stories, which if narrated will put entire nation to shame.
These institutions form the backbone of the country and were destroyed one after the other with regimes, who in order to secure their voters appointed all Toms, Dicks and Harry’s in large numbers.
A burden on the national exchequer added with the service rules which made it impossible for the corrupt culprit to take the exit is the prevailing practice.
Murderers in the police force are not hanged and after sometime they are back in their offices. This can be checked from the Prime Minister Complaint Cell as how many of the applications are against the corrupt police officials.
The corrupt government officials are given a new lease of life after sometime and the lives ruined by them are unaccounted for. The dent caused by corruption to national exchequer comes after and it is only listed in the Public Accounts Committee report which is nothing but figures which demoralizes masses who find it hard to sustain themselves.
There are so many indexes that people have lost count, corruption index, poverty index, mortality rate index, health index and what not. The masses only wish to see and read, is the recovery index which is the slogan of Prime Minister Imran Khan. Sadly there is nothing much to be happy about, what is recovered in mere peanuts and those who have gulped down billions are coughing out but pittance.
The recent uproar is about the Senate elections in which Prime Minister is asking for constitutional amendment and believes the Senators who switched sides with price tags after show of hands will refrain from the practice. Prime Minster wants to put an end to this practice as sold out senators are a threat to the whole system and their vote play a crucial role in legislation.
The politics and politicians in Pakistan with tainted past and present have never been role models for the masses; Imran Khan was elected as the last ray of hope to end the menace which has attained demonic size.
