Corruption perception

Pakistan has gone down three notches on the global Corruption Perception Index (CPI) 2019 of Transparency International from the previous year’s ranking despite increased anti-corruption efforts. In the CPI 2019 released on Jan 23, Pakistan ranks 120 out of 180 countries. On a scale of zero (highly corrupt) to 100 (very clean), the country has been assigned a score of 32, a point lower than its score of 33 on the 2018 index and well below the global average of 43. The CPI ranks 180 countries and territories by their perceived levels of public sector corruption, drawing on 13 expert assessments and surveys of business executives.

Transparency International Pakistan Chairman Sohail Muzaffar said the TI Secretariat had explained Pakistan’s lowering on the index by referring to the fact many countries had not performed well this year. Many developed countries such as Canada, France, the United Kingdom and Denmark have scored less than last year. He said the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) under its current chairman had performed much better, and it took various initiatives, including adopting the combined investigation team system, to have a wise course in the conduct of inquiries on merit. A TIP statement said NAB had collected Rs153 billion from corrupt elements and filed 530 references and its overall conviction ratio in the accountability courts was round 70%. The TIP said analysis showed countries that performed well on the CPI had a stronger enforcement of campaign finance regulations and a broader range of political consultation. These countries had an average score of 70 on the CPI but countries where such regulations either don’t exist or were poorly enforced scored an average of only 34 and 35. TI stresses the need for tackling the relationship between politics and big money. There is, however, a popular perception in Third World countries that despite all the talks about the need for eliminating corruption, in practical life they see corruption winning more than honesty. This perception needs to be removed. 

Published in The Express Tribune, January 24^th, 2020.

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