Hard talk: Rampant corruption has debilitated nation, says Sarwar

PTI braces for local government elections.

LAHORE: Candidates for the forthcoming local government elections must be nominated on merit, Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) provincial organiser Chaudhry Muhammad Sarwar said on Friday.

The former governor made the remarks at a meeting with PTI national organiser Shah Mehmood Qureshi at the party’s provincial secretariat. Sarwar said it was imperative to ensure that selection of candidates was conducted transparently province-wide. He said all district coordinators would be selected on merit. Sarwar said it was necessary to reward intra-party performance to cultivate potential leaders.

The meeting decided to start preparing for the upcoming polls. Efforts to reorganise the party to make it more effective at the grassroots were also discussed on the occasion. PTI provincial deputy organiser Rai Azizullah was also present on the occasion.

Later, the former governor said transparency and accountability were essential to steer the nation in the right direction. He was speaking to Deputy Leader of Opposition in the Provincial Assembly Sibtain Khan. Sarwar said rampant corruption had debilitated the entire nation. He said a flawed judicial system had impeded the effective provision of justice.

Sarwar said the corrupt managed to get away scot free in most cases due to legal loopholes. He said the PTI would enshrine a transparent system of accountability once it took power. Sarwar said decades of mismanagement and corruption had destroyed national institutions including Pakistan International Airlines, Pakistan Railways and Pakistan Steel Mills. He said this was also true for the Revenue, Police and Income Tax departments.

Sarwar said the challenges confronting the nation had compounded the difficulties of the people. He said the government had failed to provide succour to the masses. He said the people had been grappling with lawlessness, electricity shortage, poverty and inflation. He said it was imperative to eradicate corruption to ensure that the nation turned into a welfare state.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 30^th, 2015.