Flailing against corruption

Amid crippling political partisanship and an economy nearing bankruptcy, fighting corruption may unify the country

Despite a change in government, Pakistan’s ranking in Transparency International’s annual Corruption Perceptions Index remains unchanged. Meanwhile, our score actually dropped by a nominal one point. For those looking for silver linings, the losses were nothing compared to our index performance during the PTI’s tenure. The country ranked 120 in the 2019 report — which covered the period during which Imran Khan became prime minister —and fell in both of the next two years, landing at 140 in the 2021 report.

By that measure, the PDM government may claim they reversed or, at least, stopped a perpetual decline. But much like their economic management, taking a glass-half-full approach is useless when an increasing number of people can’t afford a glass. Transparency International’s chief Delia Ferreira Rubio noted that corruption has made the world a more dangerous place, pointing to the violence in the bottom three countries — South Sudan, Syria and Somalia — along with countries that have failed to address corruption, such as Brazil. The report also noted that several countries in our region have made gains against “petty corruption,” but “grand corruption remains common.” Transparency International was also critical of Imran, saying he “came to power promising to tackle rampant corruption and promote social and economic reforms, but little has been accomplished on any of these fronts since he took the reins in 2018.” It also noted that Imran himself has been disqualified by the Election Commission of Pakistan for corruption in the Toshkhana case and could even face criminal charges. It also called on the PDM government to take “concrete action with a holistic and effective anti-corruption plan that addresses illicit financial flows and introduces safeguards for civic space.”

Amid crippling political partisanship and an economy currently teetering on the brink of bankruptcy, fighting corruption may be the only way to quickly unify the country. Unfortunately, if history is a guide, addressing corruption will be even harder than resolving the Kashmir dispute.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 2^nd, 2023.

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