President, PM vow to eliminate corruption in all its forms

President Dr Arif Alvi and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Friday, in observance of International Anti-Corruption Day, sent messages vowing to eliminate all forms of corruption in Pakistan.

President Alvi said that Pakistan reaffirms its commitment to eliminating corruption in all its forms and manifestations, and to promote transparency and accountability in its governance system.

In his message, he highlighted that fighting corruption is a "serious concern" for developing countries, especially Pakistan, as corruption weakens security and hinders economic growth.

The president added that International Anti-Corruption Day provides everyone with an opportunity to reflect on the progress we have made over the past years in the fight against corruption as well as think about the work that remains to be done in the years ahead.

The president expressed hope that Pakistan can emerge as a strong and prosperous nation if we make "sincere efforts to root out this menace from our society".

Read Pakistan ready to play its part for revival of SAARC: PM

PM Shehbaz underscored the need to strengthen institutions for eradicating corruption from the country "by following the golden principles of Islam and ensuring the supremacy of law".

In his message on the occasion today, he said that this day marks the "renewal of our pledge to root out this scourge" as it is a major obstacle in the way of the development and prosperity of any country and leads to its economic and administrative destruction.

The premier emphasised the need for doing away with the practice of using corruption as a tool for political victimization and regretted that "the previous government jailed political opponents on the basis of frivolous corruption allegations".

Terming corruption as a "major national issue", Shehbaz said that instead of using corruption for political sloganeering and point scoring, serious efforts should be made for its eradication.

The prime minister urged all political circles to prepare a clear roadmap to get rid of corruption.