PAKISTAN’S ranking on the Transparency International Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) improved during the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM)-led government in 2023. The improvement in ranking reflects that the menace of corruption subsided during the brief stint of Shehbaz Sharif-led government compared to his rival Imran Khan’s 2018-2022 tenure. As per the analysis of TI’s previous reports, corruption in Pakistan has been on the rise since 2018. The TI’s 2022 CPI report on global corruption also found Pakistan under Shehbaz-Imran’s shared rule as more corrupt than before.
No doubt, there is an improvement in Pakistan’s ranking on the global corruption index as the country stood at 133 out of 180 countries while its overall score jumped to 29 out of 100. This can rightly be cited as an achievement as compared to previous year’s ranking of 140 and the overall score of 27. However, it is an achievement only when drawing comparison between the tenure of the PTI and that of the Coalition Government, otherwise it should be a matter of concern for policy and decision-makers that corruption is still a major issue in the country despite claims of successive governments and the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) of doing this and that to curb the menace. We have been emphasizing in these columns that the fight against corruption has become a propaganda tool as the focus of the NAB and the judiciary remains on high profile cases while corruption pervades the entire system of governance. Leaders and governments pay only lip service to the anti-corruption campaign and this approach was highlighted during tenure of the PTI when inquiries against mega scandals of medicines, sugar and wheat were initiated but never taken to the logical conclusion. The recommendation of the TI that the Government should give justice systems the independence, resources and transparency needed to effectively punish all corruption offences and provide checks and balances on power is understandable but who will stem corruption in the judiciary?
