Seminar: ‘Economy, social development suffer due to corruption’

ISLAMABAD: National Accountability Bureau (NAB) Chairman Qamar Zaman Chaudhry said on Tuesday that organisations like NAB and other anti-corruption agencies have an equally formidable task in the shape of corruption that “we need to weed out”.

At a national seminar on `Role of youth in eradication of corruption,’ organised at International Islamic University Islamabad (IIUI), he said, “Youth is our future and NAB wants to engage them to join hands in its fight against corruption.” He said corruption has become one of the biggest challenges of the modern era, adding that some have called it as grave as terrorism since the nexus between the two is unholy.

“Like the rest of world, we too are confronted by the twin menace. The economy and social development of our country has suffered immensely from detrimental effects of corruption and terrorism,” he said, adding that Pakistan’s armed forces are engaged in tackling the monster of terrorism and they have laid innumerable sacrifices in this fight.

“I feel that youth are the ones who can be most effective in taking the anti-corruption message to their homes, to the streets, and to their localities. The nation belongs to its youth and they are the leaders of tomorrow,” he added.

He said corruption badly affects the economy, standards of living, and social justice.

The chairman said that if a country wants to achieve sustained socioeconomic development with healthy foreign investment, corruption must be eliminated.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 30^th, 2016.