49% Pakistanis paid bribes in 2010: TI

Transparency International survey shows Pakistanis perceive police to be the most corrupt department in the country.

Almost 49 per cent of Pakistanis have paid a bribe to an official in the government or private sector during the last twelve months according to a study released by Berlin-based non-governmental agency Transparency International on International Anti-Corruption Day.

The survey, which is part of the Global Corruption Barometer 2010 and conducted by Gallup Pakistan in the country, focused on nine areas, including education, police, political parties and the judiciary.

The police emerged as the most corrupt department, in the list of 'institutions perceived to be most affected by corruption',  scoring a 4.5 on a scale of one to five (five being extremely corrupt). The rankings were:

Police	4.5
Public officials/civil servants	4.2
political parties	4.1
parliament/legislature	4.0
business/private sector	3.8
NGOs	3.8
judiciary	3.6
Media	3.3
Education system	3.1
Military	3.0
Religious bodies	2.8

In response to the question ‘In the past 3 years, how has the level of corruption in this country changed’, 77 per cent of Pakistanis believe that corruption has increased, while16 per cent believe nothing has changed and six per cent believe it has decreased.

On the current government’s effort to fight corruption, 73 per cent believe it is ineffective, while 12 per cent believe it is effective, 15 per cent said neither.

Worldwide, the study shows that one in four persons paid a bribe during the last one year. The study was compiled from polls conducted among more than 91,000 people in 86 countries.