Pakistan has descended further in the latest Transparency International Corruption Perception Index report, released on Tuesday. Pakistan is ranked at 140th spot out of 180 countries. The country has slipped 16 places in the latest rankings.
On the same list last year, Pakistan scored 28 points out of 100. “The index, which ranks 180 countries and territories by their perceived levels of public sector corruption according to experts and businesspeople, uses a scale of zero to 100, where zero is highly corrupt and 100 is very clean,” the organization said.
In 2020, Pakistan’s score was 31 and it was ranked 124 out of 180 countries. As per Transparency International, the country now scores 28 points.
CPI measures how much the public sectors are perceived to be corrupt by the businesspeople and experts of that country. The countries are then ranked on a scale of 0 to 100. Zero marks are highly corrupt while 100 marks are very clean.
The CPI took into consideration 13 expert assessments and surveys of business executives. Vice-Chair of Transparency International Pakistan, Justice (Retd) Nasira Iqbal attributed the grim figures of Pakistan to the absence of rule of law and state capture.
Moreover, CPI figures are released after PM Imran Khan had ferociously denied negotiating with the opposition members indicted in the corruption cases in a public speech on Sunday. He vowed to continue his struggle against corruption in Pakistan. On Monday night, SAPM Shahzad Akbar on accountability had resigned.
These figures contradict the core objective of PTI’s government which is to end the corruption in Pakistan and the claims of its ministers of fighting a hard battle against various mafias and powerful corrupts day in and day out. Does the report implicate PTI and its administration of a sharp increase in corruption in Pakistan? Or does it favor the narrative of the opposition of calling the current government inept and incompetent to efficiently run the public sectors of Pakistan?
Opposition leaders and parties have unleashed severe criticism on the ruling party, Pakistan Tehreek-I-Insaf (PTI) and PM Imran Khan following the release of the latest CPI figure.
PMLN’s opposition leader, Shahbaz Sharif in his tweet said that the corruption had declined during the government of former prime minister, Nawaz Sharif.
“The international organization’s report is an indictment [against the government] and the corrupt rulers should resign. The country cannot bear their plundering anymore,” Shahbaz said.
Read more: Eradicating corruption Pakistan’s highest priority, NAB chief tells UN
“During PM Nawaz Sharif’s government, corruption decreased despite the massive development, which was the result of transparency, good governance & legal reforms. Now corruption has hit an all-time high even though no worthwhile development has taken place,” said Shahbaz Sharif from his Twitter account.
During PM Nawaz Sharif's government, corruption decreased despite the massive development, which was the result of transparency, good governance & legal reforms. Now corruption has hit an all-time high despite the fact that no worthwhile development has taken place. https://t.co/x4q7kgXWdy
— Shehbaz Sharif (@CMShehbaz) January 25, 2022
PPP Vice President, Sherry Rehman called the report a ‘charge sheet’ against the current government. She said that the rankings had “exposed the government’s narrative”.
Journalist Kamran Khan also commented on the CPI but added a different perspective to the issue. In his tweet, he posted pictures of money and valuable NAB seized during the raid on the houses of the two officials of DMC Korangi in Karachi.
ٹرانسپیرنسی انٹرنیشنل کی کرپشن پرسیپشن انڈیکس اس حکومت کے خلاف چارج شیٹ ہے. کرپشن میں پاکستان کا 16 درجے اوپر جانا اس حکومت کے بیانئے کو بے نقاب کرتا ہے۔ 2020 میں دنیا بھر میں پاکستان کرپشن پرسیپشن انڈیکس میں 124 نمبر پر تھا، 1 سال کے اندر پاکستان 140ویں نمبر پر آگیا ہے۔ pic.twitter.com/TqrL5SFgOQ
— VicePresidentPPPP (@VicePresPPPP) January 25, 2022
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“Transparency International confirmed yesterday that corruption in Pakistan has increased further. Government corruption in Sindh and Pakistan is the most dangerous. What will happen to the houses of the people?” wrote Kamran Khan in his tweet.
ٹرانسپنسی انٹرنیشنل نے کل تصدیق کی پاکستان میں کرپشن مزید بڑھ گئی پاکستان میں سندھ میں سرکاری کرپشن خطرناک ترین یہ تصاویر کل نیب کے کراچی میں کورنگی DMC کے نچلی سطح کے دو افسران کے گھروں پر چھاپے سے برآمدگی کی ہیں سونے کی اینٹیں نوٹوں کی گڈیاں اوپر والوں کے گھروں کا کیا حال ہوگا pic.twitter.com/XFknQSzSQP
— Kamran Khan (@AajKamranKhan) January 25, 2022
His comments raise the question that if PTI is only responsible for the sharp increase in corruption in Pakistan or should the PPP-run Sindh government be held accountable.