Representational image of a man using mobile phone. PHOTO: REUTERS
Speaking during a seminar at Fatima Jinnah Women University (FJWU) on 'Corruption and Our Social Responsibilities', organised by the Sustainable Social Development Organization (SSDO) in collaboration with the Rawalpindi Anti-Corruption Department, the department’s regional director Arif Rahim said that the surprising, yet encouraging results were seen during a special an awareness campaign.
He dilated that the campaign, run in collaboration with SSDO, was conducted in the Rawalpindi region including Rawalpindi, Jhelum, Attock and Chakwal districts.
The campaign provided a platform for citizens to report the corruption cases through special numbers for the mobile messaging application WhatsApp.
“The response of citizens was very encouraging and over 1,200 citizens reported cases of corruption over the past 10 months,” Rahim said.
He added that in a few of the cases, in which the anti-corruption department acted promptly, they managed to catch public officials red-handed with support from complainants.
Reiterating that the department took action in accordance with the law against, he said that a few officials were arrested from offices after setting up trap raids.
SSDO’s Syed Kausar Abbas acknowledged that the anti-corruption department was doing its best to eliminate corruption from public offices of the Rawalpindi region. Abbas added that SSDO, being a civil society organization, was supporting the campaign to create awareness amongst citizens by organising seminars, walks, a special rickshaw campaign, writing blogs, and putting up banners in the city.
He also highlighted the role of the Right to Information (RTI) law in arresting corruption by ensuring transparency and openness in public offices.
“RTI laws exist in Punjab, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, Sindh and at the federal level and now citizens need to use it to make public offices transparent and accountable,” Abbas said. He urged students to also devote some time for civic education apart from their regular education because having a civic sense will make them useful citizens and they can play proactive roles for the betterment of the society.
FJWU Vice Chancellor Dr Samina Amin Qadir said that the merit and transparency in the admissions and recruitment processes of universities must be ensured.
“No one can claim any irregularity in the university system except for a human error,” she claimed.
The vice chancellor went on to add that her administration was ensuring transparency and openness in its affairs to transform it into a better institution.
She further underlined the need to focus on eliminating both moral and financial corruption from society and encouraged students to take part in activities which promote civic education and develop a civic sense.
Published in The Express Tribune, December 13th, 2018.
COMMENTS
Comments are moderated and generally will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive.
For more information, please see our Comments FAQ