Transparency Survey: Pakistan military debuts on graft list

KARACHI: Corruption watchdog Transparency International for the first time has included Pakistan’s military in an annual survey, listing it as a notch more corrupt than the country’s education department. The Pakistan chapter of Transparency International reviews and ranks government departments according to the prevalence of graft in the system. “Our land revenue and police departments are on top in corruption. The judiciary is ranked fourth while military is in ninth position followed by the education department,” Sohail Muzaffar, TI Pakistan chairman, told AFP. Transparency International advisor Adil Gilani said the military had been included “to dispel the impression that our surveys are biased”. Last year, the judiciary came in sixth. “Delay in case proceedings and punishment has heavily contributed to the development of a perception that the judicial system has also fallen prey to corruption,” said Gilani.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 30^th, 2011.