ISLAMABAD: President Dr Arif Alvi on Thursday urged the judiciary to swiftly eliminate white collar crime cases and that combined action by relevant departments could eradicate the threat of corruption from the country.

“Swift decisions by the judiciary on corruption cases are needed as the delays have caused the dispensation of justice,” the president said at the “Pakistan without corruption: pride of the nation” seminar held at the presidency. .

The president also stressed the need for the respective roles of parliament and the executive in the development of strong laws and their implementation to fight corruption.

Calling corruption an obstacle to the country’s growth, he said: “It is the collective responsibility of all levels of state and society to ensure its eradication. Strict laws, effective prosecutions and swift delivery of justice in addition to societal pressure are important factors in the fight against corruption, ”he added.

The event organized by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) was held in the framework of the International Anti-Corruption Day aimed at raising awareness about the fight against corruption in society.

President Alvi said that allowing greed to take over morality leads to corrupt practices and has a negative impact on society. He condemned the abuse of entrusted power for private gain and emphasized self-responsibility to eliminate corruption.

The president praised the NAB for taking action against corruption, but stressed that the efforts of the anti-corruption watchdog alone could only prove effective if they were supported by all segments of society.

The president said that societal pressure and religious and spiritual beliefs also help a person stay on the right path.

He said the media, through exposure of corruption, could play a positive role, however, stressed that it should be about the actual exposure of the fraud rather than pursuing journalism out of context.

The president said Pakistan was taking effective action against corruption and praised the NAB for making a huge clawback of Rs821 billion.

Speaking on the occasion, NAB chairman, retired judge Javed Iqbal, said the NAB is committed to ending corruption in the country and has proceeded to 1,194 convictions with a total recovery of 821 billion rupees, including 538 billion rupees in the past four years.

He said the NAB had also taken action against its 200 officials for corruption in four years.

He mentioned that foreign anti-corruption organizations had recognized the effectiveness of the NAB and had requested training on its “deterrent factum” methodology.

United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) country representative Jeremy Milsom said considerable work has been undertaken in Pakistan to fight corruption.

By preventing corruption and returning stolen assets, he said, UNODC was freeing up resources for growth and the creation of new jobs, building resilience to future emergencies, empowering women and youth and laying the foundations for a more just future.

Later, President Alvi distributed certificates of appreciation to NAB officers who had done commendable work in the areas of investigation and prosecution.

March organized to mark Anti-Corruption Day

A march was held here on Thursday to mark the International Anti-Corruption Day and highlight the ramifications of corrupt practices and corruption in Pakistan.

The march was held to raise awareness among citizens and collectively raise their voices against the threat

The march to the National Press Club was part of the national campaign, as marches were also held in Lahore, Karachi, Sukkur, Multan and Bahawalpur, as well as on several university campuses across the country.

The marches entitled: “Awareness of the fight against corruption” were organized by the Organization for Sustainable Social Development (SSDO) on the occasion of the International Anti-Corruption Day.

Addressing the rally, SSDO Executive Director Syed Kausar Abbas said the motive behind organizing the march was to give citizens visibility in public spaces to highlight their views.

“It was equally imperative that civil society organizations, youth groups and all other stakeholders also recognize and organize events that promote transparency and accountability,” he said.

SSDO mobilized citizens from diverse backgrounds such as civil society organizations, members of the transgender community, journalists, lawyers, public policy professionals, students, activists and the informal sector.

Participants carried placards articulating anti-corruption messages, drawing attention to the utter destruction that corruption brings to society, with its far-reaching effects that destroy institutions, legal processes and public trust.

Participants launched anti-corruption slogans such as “Corruption is free is the way forward” and “Corruption aik lanat hai [Corruption is a curse]To express their disdain at the intense penetration of corruption into many institutions and decision-making bodies in Pakistan, hampering development and suppressing ordinary citizens.

It was decided by the participants to organize similar events in the future, so that citizens can again come together and form a collaborative and united front to demonstrate their power by numbers and initiate a dialogue on public policies.

Posted in Dawn, le 10 December 2021