PTI govt's accountability drive is partial, says Transparency International Pakistan
ISLAMABAD (92 News) – Transparency International Pakistan has declared that the PTI government's accountability drive during the last three years has been partial.
The National Corruption Perception Survey 2021 conducted by Transparency International Pakistan reveals that police remains the most corrupt sector, judiciary was seen as the second most corrupt, tendering and contracting third most corrupt while health has climbed to become the fourth most corrupt since the last NCPS 2011.
According to Judicial Statistics of Pakistan 2020 report by National Judicial (Policy Making) Committee, there are 46,698 cases pending in Supreme Court and 1,772,990 cases pending in district judiciary.
Three most important causes of corruption, according to NCPS 2021, are weak accountability (51.9%), greed of powerful people (29.3%) and low salaries (18.8%).
As measures to reduce corruption, 40.1% Pakistanis say increase/stringent punishments for corruption cases, 34.6% Pakistanis say accountability of public officers by expediting NAB’s handling of corruption cases, and 25.3% say a complete ban on those convicted in corruption from holding public office, are key to combat corruption in Pakistan.
The survey also sheds a light on local government and how its presence could have helped Pakistan establish a firmer grip on the situation arising out of Covid-19.
89.1% of Pakistanis have said that they did not pay any bribe to any government official during the federal government’s Covid-19 relief efforts for the deserving citizens.
A significant population (81.4%) has declined that they willingly pay bribe and likewise it was a clear perception that bribes are rather extorted from the public through tactics such as inaction or delay, in the provision of public services.
Compared to the three federal governments, majority of Pakistanis (92.9%) consider inflation and price hike to be highest in the current PTI government (2018-2021), compared to 4.6 % in PML N government (2013-2018) and 2.5% in PPP government (2008-2013). This coincides with 85.9% Pakistanis who say that their income levels have rather squeezed and decreased during the last three years.
The main reasons citizen’s accord to the rising inflation and unemployment are: government incompetence (50.6%), corruption (23.3%), undue interference of politicians in government affairs (9.6%) and lack of implementation of policies (16.6%).
In the last 20 years, Transparency International Pakistan has conducted National Corruption Perception Surveys five times: NCPS 2002, NCPS 2006, NCPS 2009, NCPS 2010 and 2011. In 2021, TI Pakistan decided to restart the National Corruption Perception Surveys and has conducted National Corruption Perception Survey 2021 in all four provinces from October 14, 2021 to October 27, 2021 with 1,600 respondents.
