Fighting corruption: Chairman NAB calls for collective efforts

Urges academia, media, youth to raise public awareness of ill effects of corruption

National Accountability Bureau (NAB) Chairman Qamar Zaman Chaudhry has called for collective efforts to eradicate corruption from society.

He was speaking to a delegation of National Leadership Programme of Sindh Madressatul Islam University (SMIU) Karachi which called on him here on Friday, said a press release.

Welcoming the team, which was headed by SMIU Vice-Chancellor Dr Muhammad Ali Shaikh and comprised of faculty members and students, Chaudhry said SMIU was one of the oldest institutes of South Asia and had the distinction of being the alma matter of Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah.

He said mission of the university was to create enabling environment for education, research and learning to produce leaders who are proactive, truthful, honest, brave and believe in self-accountability. He hoped SMIU would impart such education to young generation who can lift Pakistan out of corruption.

The chairman said corruption was rampant in our society and had rightly been labelled as mother of all ills, giving birth to multifarious problems including nepotism, favouritism and violation of meritocracy, transparency and accountability.

The chairman reiterated his determination to eradicate corruption from Pakistan. “For this, every member of society has to make an effort by setting personal, professional and official conduct above any influence and prejudice.

“Parents have to teach their children how abhorrent and detestable corruption is. The intelligentsia, the academia and media have to sensitise the people about the ill effects of corruption on our society and economy. And nobody can play this role better than the youth,” he was quoted as saying in the press release.

Chaudhry said NAB had zero tolerance for corruption.

Directors-general operations and A&P, in their presentations, informed the delegation that NAB was fighting corruption through a holistic approach of awareness, prevention and enforcement.

Shaikh appreciated the excellent performance of NAB in eradicating corruption from the country. He desired to have closer cooperation with NAB and to sign an MoU for setting up character-building societies in the university.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 23^rd,  2016.