It is important that the accountability process in Pakistan must be de-politicised: President Alvi

ISLAMABAD, Dec 08 (SABAH): President Dr. Arif Alvi has said it is important that the accountability process in Pakistan must be de-politicised and that it should be carried out across the board on merit rather than the laws being used for political purposes.

This was stated by President Dr. Arif Alvi in his message on the occasion of International Anti-Corruption Day being observed today (Saturday).

President Alvi said that today, Pakistan commemorates International Anti-Corruption Day with the theme “Uniting the World Against Corruption” to highlight the need for collective action to curb corrupt practices in our country. He said that this day underscores the need to make united efforts by governments, civil society, media, and youth and play their role in eradicating the menace of corruption.

President Dr. Arif Alvi said that although corruption is a global issue, however, developing countries like Pakistan have been especially affected by it. Corruption poses a serious threat to our country’s socio-economic development and good governance hindering efficient service delivery, discouraging investment, and obstructing economic progress. Corruption is also the major reason behind the pilferage of scarce national resources, which could otherwise have been used for providing much-needed education, health and basic infrastructure to the nation, he said.

President Alvi said that it is, therefore, imperative to accelerate our efforts to eliminate corruption from our society. Although Pakistan has taken several steps to improve transparency, ensure accountability, and curb corruption, however, much remains to be done in this regard. The government alone cannot overcome this challenge and it is the shared responsibility of all segments of society to support government’s efforts to uproot the scourge of corruption. For this, we need to identify its root causes, detect corrupt practices, expose corrupt elements, create awareness, and deal with corrupt elements with iron hands, he said.

President Alvi said that Pakistan also needs to improve its legal framework to expedite prosecution and bridge loopholes to eliminate corrupt practices, besides increasing parliamentary oversight at the federal and provincial levels to bring greater transparency in our governance. We also need to strengthen the capacity of our anti-corruption bodies and criminal justice institutions to investigate and effectively deal with corrupt elements. Furthermore, we need a thorough review of our procurement practices and adopt international best practices to avoid pilferage and misuse of public money, he said.

“Today, I would like to urge every citizen of Pakistan to strongly discourage and resist corrupt practices, in any form they encounter, and report the same to the relevant agencies for proceeding against the corrupt elements. This is the responsibility of not only the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) but also of all citizens to play their role in eliminating corruption. The whole nation must stand united and support efforts against this social evil to purge our society of corruption. I am hopeful that if we act together, we can make an economically strong and corruption-free Pakistan for our future generations” he said.