Regional cooperation: SAARC-wide link urged to fight graft

ISLAMABAD: Representatives of all South Asian anti-corruption bodies agreed on Tuesday to formulate guidelines governing the forum with the approval of their respective governments.

The agreement emerged at the conclusion of the two-day seminar on anti-corruption organised by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) attended by representatives of all South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (Saarc) countries.

There is a need for creating a Saarc anti-corruption forum to interact on a regular basis, said a joint declaration issued at the end of the session.



According to the declaration comprising seven points, the South Asian countries have agreed to share their experiences and expertise to identify and eradicate corrupt practices from the region. Similarly, they also proposed to initiate capacity-building programs.

Earlier, the anti corruption authorities of South Asian countries held a meeting with Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Justice Anwar Zaheer Jamali, stated a press release issued by the media wing of the Supreme court.

The Chief Justice was quoted as saying that corruption was a common issue hampering the economic growth of South Asian countries. “Corruption and money laundering are important issues being faced by Third World countries, having limited resources for development,” said the Chief Justice.

Representatives from Saarc countries also shared their experience regarding implementation of anti-corruption laws.

Prominent among Saarc delegates were: Chairperson of Bhutan’s Anti-Corruption Commission Ms Kinley Yangzom, Director of India’s Central Vigilance Commission Shri Premanshu Biswas, President of the Anti-Corruption Commission of the Maldives Hassan Luthfee, Commissioner of Nepal’s Commission of Investigation of Abuse of Authority Ganesh Raj Joshi, and Chairman of Sri Lanka’s Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption Justice TB Weerasuriya.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 28^th, 2016.