How to end corruption

We are a strange country where corruption is deeply rooted in society, but nobody ever gets punished. Whenever a politician or a government officer is apprehended for corrupt practices, s/he claims that the case is politicised. The political party of these politicians decries that the corruption cases are political victimisation. Even government officers would say that they are being victimised because they served under the outgoing government. No accused ever responds to the charges in a manner that would satisfy the law. Instead, they hide behind the slogan of victimisation. If all the charges of corruption are bogus, who is responsible for massive corruption in Pakistan? Another issue with our system is a weak prosecution. The relevant authorities prepare weak cases that are based mostly on circumstantial evidence that does not stand in the court of law and the accused go scot-free. Corruption can only be rooted out if there is zero-tolerance. The department responsible for the accountability process must prepare and present strong evidence in the court. During my days in service, an official working in the Rawalpindi commissioner office was apprehended by the anti-corruption department. The commissioner appointed an inquiry officer who asked the accused for his plea. The accused instead of refuting the evidence or providing proof of his innocence took a stand that other officials in the office also took bribe. The inquiry officer asked the accused to defend himself rather than blaming others.

He was eventually found guilty and the inquiry officer sent his findings to the commissioner who gave the defendant one last chance. The accused repeated his stance, which was not entertained, and the commissioner dismissed him from service. This sent a clear and strong message to everyone and there was no corruption in the office for quite some time. I believe we need a strong system where people, irrespective of their political or departmental affiliation, are prosecuted and sentenced based on evidence. Unless we do that, accountability in our country will remain as controversial as it is.

Raja Shafaatullah

Islamabad