Hopes up: ‘Corruption is going to end’

Maula Bux Chandio compares the vice to a disease that can be eradicated with unity

KARACHI: When people of the society stand up for a cause, it's surely going to bear results. The same goes for corruption — it's like a disease that can be eradicated if we join our hands together.

Maula Bux Chandio, adviser to the chief minister for information, expressed these views at an awareness walk at Sea View, Clifton, organised by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB), Sindh, in collaboration with the anti-corruption department to mark the World Anti-Corruption Day on Tuesday.

NAB director-general Lt Col (retd) Sirajul Naeem said that corruption is not a new thing. "The cancer of corruption is even present in the developed countries but their societies are vibrant and have larger resources and their governments are welfare states, so it hardly affects the life of a common man," he said. "But, in our case, we have limited resources so a small amount of corruption can harm us [greatly]."

He said that every government aims to curb corruption so that it can utilise the full amount of money for the welfare of its people. In our case, he added, we have limited amount of money which is either consumed in debts or corruption.



Chandio added, "We all believe in accountability but accountability must be done with justice. No one should be allowed to use the tool of accountability for taking revenge against their opponents."

The adviser to chief minister on religious affairs, Qayyum Soomro, appreciated the efforts of the government and all the authorities for standing against corruption and terrorism, especially in Karachi. "No country or nation [can] ever succeed with corruption," he said. "Even our religion teaches us to earn with honesty instead of corruption."

Soomro was the chief guest, with Chandio as the guest of honour for the event. Besides them, former cricketer Wasim Akram, and hockey legends Samiullah Khan and Islahuddin Siddique along with many people from different walks of life participated in the walk. Students from different schools, colleges and universities marked their presence in the walk against the cause. They were also holding various placards, with messages such as 'Break the Chain of Corruption' inscribed on them.

ACE urges people to denounce corruption

To mark global Anti Corruption Day, educationists, activists, citizens and government officials arranged walks and seminars in several districts of Hyderabad, Nawabshah and Mirpurkhas divisions on Wednesday. The Anti-Corruption Establishment officials, who participated in the walks, urged people to help them by registering complaints against public servants seeking bribes.

With additional reporting by our

correspondent in Hyderabad

Published in The Express Tribune, December 10^th,  2015.