Corruption is dishonest actions that destroys people's trust in

the person or group, like the news of corruption in how your

bank is run, that makes you close your account and invest your
money somewhere else.

CORRUPTION
SUBMITTED TO
PROF. SAJIDA NASIR

SUBMITTED BY
ABDUL MOEED

109

HAFIZ ASAD AHMED

110

OSAMA BIN HASSAN

118

BILAL RAWN

157

MAHA AKRAM

154

MARYAM TARIQ

140

FALAK BILAL KHAN

127

KAINAT ALI

120

SANA HAYAT

112

AMNA TARIQ

139

BBA Afternoon (2nd semester)

INSTITUTE OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION

UNIVERSITY OF THE PUNJAB

INTRODUCTION
The word corruption has been deduced from corrupt which means to change from good to bad in morals,
manners and actions. Corruption stands for impairment of integrity virtue or moral principle or
inducement of wrong by bribery or other unlawful means. This also means departure from what is pure
or correct. Since corruption is connected with bribery, it will be useful to define it, too. The word bribe
literally stands for money as favors bestowed on or promised to a person in a position of trust in order to
prevent a judgment or corrupt his conduct. It is thus clear that corruption and bribery go hand in hand
and cover a big sphere of social activity, which can be disrupted to an extent that makes peoples lives
miserable and retards the growth of a country.
If a country is to be corruption free and become a nation of beautiful minds, I strongly feel there are
three key societal members who can make a difference. They are the father, the mother and the
teacher.
(A. P. J. Abdul Kalam)
It is questionable, whether corruption can be dealt with selectively, because many activities are
independent with it: corruption in business feeds on corruption in government and administration which
in turn, supports social and moral corruption that distorts the fabric of society by promoting questionable
values. It is true that at the time of its birth, Pakistan had no socio-economic infrastructure for a nations
survival. Despite political instability corrupt leadership and self-centered opportunists has weather
everything to stand firm like a rock. It was due to the dexterity of laborers, the romantic idealism of its
youth, the diversity of its agro-climate conditions and kind of resolve of its people to defeat all odds.
Before discussing aftermaths of corruption it is imperative to analyze the factors or reasons, which
contribute to corruption.

A citizen who does black marketing commits, I think, a greater crime These black
marketers are really knowing, intelligent and ordinarily responsible people, and
when they indulge in black marketing, I think they ought to be very severely
punished, because they undermine the entire system of control and regulation of
.essential commodities, and cause.starvation and want and even death.

To begin with, the lack of accountability promotes corruption rampantly. Since we

do not have any organized institution, which can be reliable, corrupt one feel
secure without check and malpractice at large. By every definition corruption means the violations of the
laws of land and social norms. It is precisely the excess of rules that create fertile ground for corruption.
When social relations tend to be close and personal, it might be difficult to establish direct link between
the act of corruption and the person concerned. But complicated rules camouflage social intimacy and
have the way for both to come into a deal, which may suit them but not to the country. In many cases the
corrupted and the corrupter may never even have discussed the payment. It would be simply understood
that favor granted today creates a presumption or even an obligation for a reciprocal favor tomorrow.
The biggest drawbacks in our national development have been political instability. So-called leaders and
opportunists joined hands with the civil-military bureaucracy to retain powers and loot the country of its
resources with both hands. Our immoral and un-Islamic social customs play an important role in boost
corruption. In order to fulfill unreasonable needs of customs of families, officials go out of the way to
earn money. Instead of practicing austerity in their lines, they are bound to lead luxurious life, which
demands high cost. That can only be met by illegal means.

According to Novak,
Acquiring power is the purpose of corruption, since power is needed to prevail over other persons.
When succeeding, power is acquired, and its desirability causes the behavior to be repeated.

CAUSES OF THE CORRUPTION

The most often used definitions of corruption have taken the place of the clichs from the time when
corruption was thought a convention, a well hidden alternative way of living the sides in the corruption
process is clearly defined: ''the one offering the bribe and the one taking the bribe''. Vulgarization of
corruption itself brings archetypal and pragmatic notions of it. Nowadays corruption is most often
interpreted by the general public as a series of interactions

Political Causes

Absence of culture of accountability

Incompetent Judiciary
Highly Centralized Economic system
Absence of Rule of Law
Punctuated Constitutional Supremacy

Socio-Economic Causes

High inflation and food prices

Meager Salaries
Class conflict due to Capitalism
Evasion of ethical and religious norms

Nepotism and Favoritism

Corruption is a process of decay which can never be eradicated completely from any society. The most
important reasons contributing to this decay are bad interaction between the specialized bodies for
combating corruption and the citizens, the extensive prerogatives of public officials, the widespread
bureaucracy ,insufficient political will for dealing with corruption, the low remuneration of public
officials, lack of effective measures and sanctions, the possibility for public officials to obtain illegal
benefit, weaknesses of the legislation, lack of willingness on the part of the citizens to contribute to, the
process of combating corruption. So corruption is to be done everywhere. Everyone wants to fulfill their
needs or to get success so corrupt ways are used for that so you find corruption on all levels thats why
there are so many reason of corruption.

Meager Salaries
The basic reason for corruption is low salaries as everyone is finding a way to better their living standard
as much as they can; its also a human nature that he has everything more and more. So mostly

corruption is to be seen where there are people having fewer salaries they use corrupt ways to achieve
the goal. It is true that they do not have any other way to fulfill their wants.

Lack of accountability and regulation

Corruption is more prevalent because lack of accountability and regulation. If money
that the government receives is going in their pockets rather than being spent on the
people who need it, on their education, health and so on, then the consequences are
obvious that many people don't pay taxes because they don't trust the government to
spend it on the people, they think they are corrupt and the money would just
disappear. And so this creates a vicious circle. People don't see the government doing
anything to help them, so they think it's a waste of time to pay taxes. The government
doesn't get any money from taxes and so can't do anything to help people.

Culture
Corruption on the low-level is systematic and fed by desperation. In many of these nations, it's almost
expected that a policeman or clerk will earn a fair amount of income through bribes, so the states pay
those workers less based on that assumption. Bribes and the like become a kind of tip. Even in situations

where this is not true, there's still the temptation of extra cash, whether necessary to feed one's family.
The "every man for him" attitude in some cultures encourages this.

High Centralized Economic System

In the much similar fashion, highly centralized economy, breeds conflicts amongst the poor and rich.
The growing influence of privileged class always uses the influential authority to snub the poor people.
In such a situation the victim and the upper both use their influence at maximum extent to have
maximum benefit from the opportunity. Thus, capitalism is the forefront in bringing and paving ways for
corruption. Dwindling economy and ever rises levels of inflation are the major source of corruption. The
more the prosperous a country, the more the rules of law are followed but it is quite unfortunate to
mention that Pakistan is the country rated in the third world whether neither the rules of law prevails nor
the economic system is strengthened. The per capita income is low that renders the lower strata of
society more prone towards corruption.

Evasion of Ethical and religious norms

Corruption evolves as a result of these norms. Religion always asks the believers to have a solid strive in
bringing a moderate society. It agrees in favor of decentralized economy. Regulation of wealth according
to rule of law is the motto of Islam.

Nepotism and Favoritism

Nepotism and favoritism is the also the major cause of corruption.ke

We take

a political example of favoritism of year 1978-1988 Bhuttos

nationalization programmer lost its appeal towards the end of his
government's term and the demand for denationalization gained

more

currency. The successive government of military chief and president

Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq released a whitepaper that led to the creation of a
commission under Pakistan Industrial Credit and Investment Corporation (PICIC)
to reverse earlier nationalization efforts. Not much was achieved in this regard and only three industries,
including future Prime Minister Nawaz Sharifs conglomerate Ittefaq Group of Industries, were ever
denationalized and returned to their owners. Many argue that Sharif was favored in this process because
he was a political protg of the military dictator at the helm

Corruption Caused prone institutions

Police

Police corruption is a form of police misconduct in which law enforcement officers

break their social contract and abuse their power for personal or department
gain.
According to many people corruption can only thrive in bureaucratic societies or countries where every
single matter, law and order is under the control of corrupt government. The reality does not authenticate
just this idea. At an "elite" level, corruption is the everywhere. Then, what developing countries are full
of, is non-elite corrupt people. Corruption is normally associated with the government, police, legal
system and other bodies that control and allocate public resources. The police are responsible for
maintaining order and justice in a society. A police department for instance can be compared to other
governmental bodies for simple understanding of the term. e.g.: a cop stops a car to make a ticket, but is
also willing to accept a small bribe to let it pass (or even stop the car to get a bribe in the first place).
Some drivers will also try to bribe the cop, to avoid the ticket. Mostly the same at all administration
levels, at any given bureaucrat institution. Of course, virtually all government regulated institutions
(police, hospitals, schools, etc.) have their employee being overly underpaid, which helps a lot to lead
into this. The reason why a policeman for example would accept a bribe to let someone go free is that
they are often underpaid and extra cash is always a tempting prospect. The wide consensus across
surveys points to the police as being one of the most corrupt institutions in Pakistan. According to the
organization Global Integrity appointments in the police force are often based on political
considerations. Police officers frequently have conflicts of interest due to personal loyalties and family
connections. It is also well known that in Pakistan, influential landlords decide the appointment of law
enforcement officers in their area, with police officers acting on their behalf. Unlawful police methods
do not solely affect poor people. Businesses also complain that they suffer from extortion by the police,
for instance in the form of bogus traffic fines. Basically Police misconduct is a topic of great concern
worldwide. However, the causes of police corruption are remarkably different. Understanding the unique
political, historical, legal, and economic institutions of a country is essential in identifying the potential
for police misconduct. The boundary line between corrupt and non-corrupt activities is quite difficult to
define. A police officer who takes advantage of his power and authority for personal and organizational

gains can easily be described as a corrupt police officer. The term police corruption has been used to
describe many activities: bribery; violence and brutality; fabrication and destruction of evidence; racism;
and, favoritism. Not only lower ranked officers are involved in such malpractices, but also senior
officers, and those ranked below them are involved in organized corruption. The position is best
summed up in the words of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Home Affairs in Pakistan: Today
we have a police, which is politicized and Politically polarized.
For it has become a pawn in the hands of its masters. In Return,
the policemen get political patronage, which has become
essential for their Survival.

Corruption is a curse in India and amongst Muslims,

especially the so-called educated and intelligentsia.
Unfortunately, it is this class that it selfish and morally and
intellectually corrupt. No doubt this disease is common, but
amongst this particular class of Muslims it is rampant.
M.A. Jinnah to Ispahani, 6 May 1945

Impacts of Corruption on Society

Corruption in Government sectors
Public sector corruption includes corruption of the political process and of government agencies such as
the police as well as corruption in processes of allocating public funds for contracts, grants, and hiring.

Recent research by the World Bank suggests that who

makes policy decisions (elected officials or bureaucrats)
can be critical in determining the level of corruption
because of the incentives different policy-makers face.

Political Corruption
Political corruption is the abuse of public power, office, or
resources by elected government officials for personal gain,
e.g. by extortion, soliciting or offering bribes. It can also take
the form of office holders maintaining themselves in office by
purchasing votes by enacting laws which use taxpayers'
money. Evidence suggests that corruption can have political
consequences- with citizens being asked for bribes becoming
less likely to identify with their country or region.

Police Corruption
Police corruption is a specific form of police misconduct designed to obtain financial benefits, other
personal gain, and/or career advancement for a police officer or officers in exchange for not pursuing, or
selectively pursuing, an investigation or arrest. One common form of police corruption is soliciting
and/or accepting bribes in exchange for not reporting organized drug or prostitution rings or other illegal
activities. Another example is police officers flouting the police code of conduct in order to secure
convictions of suspects for example, through the use of falsified evidence. More rarely, police
officers may deliberately and systematically participate in organized crime themselves. In most major
cities, there are internal affairs sections to investigate suspected police corruption or misconduct. Similar
entities include the British Independent Police Complaints Commission.

Judicial Corruption
Judicial corruption refers to corruption related misconduct of
judges, through receiving or giving bribes, improper sentencing
of convicted criminals, bias in the hearing and judgment of
arguments and other such misconduct.
Governmental corruption of judiciary is broadly known in
many transitional and developing countries because the budget
is almost completely controlled by the executive. The latter
undermines the separation of powers, as it creates a critical
financial dependence of the judiciary. The proper national
wealth distribution including the government spending on the
judiciary is subject of the constitutional economics.
It is important to distinguish between the two methods of corruption of the judiciary: the government
(through budget planning and various privileges), and the private.

Corruption in educational systems/ Universities

In some countries, such as certain eastern European countries and certain Asian countries, corruption
occurs frequently in universities. This can include bribes to bypass bureaucratic procedures and bribing
faculty for a grade. The willingness to engage in corruption such as accepting bribe money in exchange
for grades decreases if individuals perceive such behavior as very objectionable, i.e. a violation of social
norms and if they fear sanctions in terms of the severity and probability of sanctions.

COMPARISON OF PAKISTAN WITH OTHER

COUNTRIES
As opposition leaders accuse the Pakistan government of indulging in corruption, Transparency
Internationals report on global corruption suggests otherwise. Pakistans rank on the Index stood at 134,
with 42 countries ranking worse. Last year Pakistan had only 34 countries ranking worse on the
Corruption Index.

STATISTICAL DATA

Pakistan scored 2.5 in Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) compared to last years score
of 2.3.

 Indias CPI score went down by 0.2, going to 3.1 from 3.3 in 2010
Afghanistan showed improvement by 0.1 in its CPI score this year which was 1.5;
however it remained in the list of worst scorers, topped by Somalia and followed by
Myanmar and North Korea.
China went up by 0.1 with its score of 3.6 this year.
The US was scored 7.1 on the list which was the same as last year, while UK improved
by 0.2 with a CPI score of 7.8.
At the other end of the scale, New Zealand took the leading position by a CPI score of
9.5, followed by Denmark and Finland, scoring 9.4 each.
Two thirds of ranked countries in the list scored less than 5, that shows a global
inclination towards corruption.
World Justice Project

ISLAMABAD
The Washington-based World Justice Project (WJP) on Wednesday released its 2012 Rule of Law
Index, which finds Pakistan as the seventh most corrupt and the top-most insecure nation out of a total
of 97 countries assessed.
According to the 241-page report,Pakistan shows weaknesses in most dimensions when
compared to its regional and income group peers. Low level of government accountability is
compounded by the prevalence of corruption, a weak justice system, and a poor security situation,
particularly related to terrorism and crime. The country scores more strongly on judicial independence
and fairness in administrative proceedings.

In

the case of Pakistan, out Corruption is 90th. It is 97th (the last) in the category of order and Security;
93rd in the field of Human Rights; 92nd in the areas of Open Government; 91st in the case of Civil
Justice; 88th in the area of Regulatory Enforcement; 80th in the factor of Criminal Justice; and 69th out
of 97 countries in the factor or Limited Government Powers. This year we have seen corruption on
protestors banners be they rich or poor. Whether in a Europe hit by debt crisis or an Arab world starting a new
political era, leaders must heed the demands for better government, said Huguette Labelle, chair of Transparency
International in a statement.

At the other end of the scale, New Zealand took the leading position by a CPI score of 9.5, followed by
Denmark and Finland, scoring 9.4 each.

Two thirds of ranked countries in the list scored less than 5, that shows a global inclination towards
corruption.
2011 saw the movement for greater transparency take on irresistible momentum, as citizens around the
world demand accountability from their governments. High-scoring countries show that over time
efforts to improve transparency can, if sustained, be successful and benefit their people, said
Transparency International Managing Director Cobus de Swardt in the press release.Corruptiongovernment role and activities

If the state is strong, it will crush us; if it is weak, we will perish. Paul Valery

Informal sector
The interest of the scientists on the role of unofficial economy comes from of its increasing effect on the overall
economy in the developed and developing countries. There is not strict definition of the informal economy. The
term informal economy originated from International Labour Organization (ILO), used to describe activities
address to shadow, unofficial, underground, gray, hidden, parallel side of the economy. In the economic literature
there are two approaches for defining informal sector of business, one in economic view and other behavior.
According the economic definition, the informal sector is an economic activity unrecorded in official statistic,
such as GNP, GDP and the national income accounts. The behavior approach referred to activities complies with
the existing juridical, regulatory and institutional approach. (Feige, Portes- 1999). In that sense informal sector
include entrepreneurs, who produce without proper permits and legal status, avoid the legal procedures, as a result
they operate outside of the formal economy. Informality is a result of laws and regulation and state interference.
To date there is no precise definition of the unofficial (shadow) economy. Frieder Schneider and Dominic Enste
define it as a multitude of activities that are not reported by the official statistics. According to Feige1 the
development of the shadow economy is due to regulations and rules imposed on business by the state. The most
popular definition of corruption1 is the abuse of public power for private property. Distinguishing between
informal and formal sector is not easy. The corruption promotes informal sector growth. High transaction costs of
business are sign of corruption. The businessmen in order to avoid legality they usually pay bribes and in that way
they 1 The term corruption is coming from Latin word to break rumper. In that sense implies something is broken.
So rules are broken, no transparency. receive protection from the administrators and institutions. The statisticians
assume in their analyses approximately 9 trillion USD of worldwide output is not reported 3 , largely due to the
existence of the shadow economy. There are many causes for the existence of the shadow economy, but some of
the most important can be readily identified. These are high tax burdens, weak banking systems, business
regulations and legislation, government interference, inefficiency of government institutions and high
unemployment rates. The shadow economy tends to be greater in the developing and transition countries due to

more corruption and low incomes. Despite of economic and financial liberalization the role of the state increases
because of its larger influence in supplying the public goods and services.

Governmental activities
In the perfect market, the government could not be played any role. However, the markets are unperfected; the
public good, monopoly, externalities in production require government interference.

1. Legislative development and regulation.

One of the reasons for corruption was a licenses and registration regime, which gave a power of the officials of
engagement in economic activities. In addition, the often chances of laws create uncertainty in business
environment. For example, the privatization law has changed 24 times from 19922000. The commercial code has
been amended 23 times, tax legislation (Corporate tax law, Income tax law, VAT have been changed 30 times).
The license is one of the obstacles for starting business. The law on Local Self-governance and the Law on Local
Administration are given certain legal powers to regulate the business, with aim to protect the public interest. The
survey of the World Bank on licenses and permission found that a new company could easily require 10 and more
licenses, it took 7.4 week8 .

2. Tax legislation
According the new law the number of the employees will determine the size of the lump-sum tax. Small firms,
which will pay that tax, will try to avoid it, so they will prefer to stay in the shadow side of the economy. The
reduction of corporate tax from 20% to 15% for the companies with profit above 50 000 BGN could be estimated
as positive incentive for business. The tax burden for individuals decreased, but as a whole tax base increased as a
result of the growth local tax. The government has intention to enforce the control on tax administration, aiming
to improve the collection of tax, social and health insurance payments. In Bulgaria corruption is a major problem
in tax and customs administration. It is due to following reasons: frequent contacts between taxpayers and
administrators, the wages of the tax administrators are low, act of corruption is not discovered, when discovered
no penalty, lack of constant monitoring and control on customs administration.

3. Procurement
To date procedures of the law on procurement lead to the benefits of administrators from the power of deterring
the price of services, because of the lack of transparency and effective institutional control. The cases of
corruption related to permission of provision of service and goods by the private companies. The amendments to
the procurement law are addressed to simplify procedures, preference for domestic suppliers, subsidies for the
firms offering the services in the public sector. That is why the procurement law limits the loyal competition.

4. Bureaucracy
The reform of the public sector includes training and law. According to the Word bank assessment three - quarters
of the businessmen consider that a weak and unresponsive administration is a significant obstacle for the business.
The laws on administration and on civil servants outline duties and responsibilities of administration structures.
The law on civil servants specified the stages in career development. The criteria of professional promotion,
education requirements are not clear, it is create possibilities for political motivated hiring. c. According to the
Public Register senior government servants have to declare property, income, saving. Bureaucracy quality
depends on the amount of salary. The salaries are low compared to the private sector. Additional, more educated
and qualified staff leaves the public sector due to better financial conditions and possibility for career
development.

5. Reference to privatization
The new privatization law will contribute to enforce privatization, increase transparency, simple procedure and
less administrative and transaction costs, post privatization control remain the power of the government officials
on the enterprises.

Measurement of corruption and informal sector

The current situation in Bulgaria If corruption could be measures, it could be eliminated. The measuring is a
mean for understanding the factors for corruption and public attitude. One of way of measuring the corruption is
indirect questionnaire, case-studies of corruption of tax administration and customs. The World Bank measures
the perception of corruption. The anaysis on the basis on calculation and questionai showed that:
Employers seek to hire people using non-labor rather than labor contracts with the purpose of reducing
payments due to the state budget, the National Social Security Institute, etc. In fact, they transfer the responsibility
of paying to the individuals who are to be insured;
It is obvious that not declaring total employees salaries is much more common than hiring people without any
contract, and it is a much more significant way of expanding the informal sector of the economy.

Ways to eradicate corruption

Education
The first tool is education. With the help of education we can reduce corruption. For instance, there
was a survey conducted by 'TIMES' magazine, according to which today the least corrupt state of India
is Kerala, the reason being that in Kerala literacy rate is highest in India. So we can see how education

affects the rate of corruption. In most of the states, normally a fairly large number of people are
uneducated. Those who are uneducated do not know about the process, provisions and procedures
through which they can get justice. Corrupt public servants try to make
fool of them and often demand for bribe. It is due to unawareness in the
field of law, public rights and procedures thereof that a common and an
uneducated suffer out of the corrupt society. This suggests that if we are
educated, we can understand our rights well.

Alteration in the government processes

We need to change the government processes. If the members of the
governing body are government officials themselves, there will certainly be less reports of the criminal
cases. The reverse may be possible only when there are no more criminal politicians in our government.
The provision is that, if there is any case filed against a person then he would not be eligible for election.
But here in Pakistan, if we see hundred politicians then about sixty percent of them would be criminal in
nature. If these criminal politicians command us and make laws, what type of laws would be formed.
Thus during elections, we should keep in mind the person for whom we shall not vote. In Pakistan, there
is a provision that no person as a criminal shall be allowed as a Member of Parliament or member of
legislative. Unfortunately a fairly large number of them are a part of it.

E-Governance
We can reduce corruption by increasing direct contact between government and the governed. Egovernance could help a lot towards this direction. In a conference on, Effects of Good Governance and
Human Rights organized by 'National Human Right Commission', it was proposed that all the lower
courts should follow the explanation of the Supreme Court and High Court and make the judgments
online. The Right to information should be used for transparency. We have legal rights to know any
information. According to this act, (Right to Information act 2005), generally people should follow the
procedure of law given to then when their work is not being implemented in a proper way in public
services. This act is a great help in the order to control corruption.

Anti-Corruption Commission
An independent anti-corruption commission should be established, headed by the Chief Justice of
Pakistan with full contempt of court powers and a large investigating staff directly under him. This can
help a lot in eradicating corruption from the country.

Treatment for corrupt officials

Process of accountability should be initiated from the top. Corrupt officials should not only be dismissed
but also be imprisoned and deprived of their properties by confiscation. Corrupt politicians should not
only be debarred from contesting elections but also be imprisoned and their properties be confiscated;

On merit appointments
The process of enforcing accountability must be decentralized and spread through the institutional
spectrum. Without the right person in job, desired objectives cannot be achieved. So, if honesty be the
objective in making senior bureaucratic appointments, the primary criterion should be personal integrity.

Implementation of penalties for the corrupt officials

Lack of implementation of effective corruption treatment is the major factor which promotes corruption
in our society. The government must progress beyond arrests and allegations. The trials must begin
without any delay and charges must be proved in courts of law. Swindlers, tax dodgers and loan
defaulters must be hounded and sent to jail as quickly as possible.

Bringing an end to feudalism

The present political system based and entrenched on feudalism and feudal will have to be completely
demolished. Indubitably, sovereignty and freedom of people have been usurped by this class in the name
of sham and farce democracy where people have nominal role. Pithily, the real solution is more
democracy, decentralization of power, more autonomy and maximum participation of the masses
through honest political institutions.

Accountability
Lack of transparency and professional accountability is yet another big reason. Corruption stems from
the exercise of power and is a continuing phenomenon. Hence, an incessant, effective and
institutionalized accountability process
must always shadow those who wield
power. We should be honest to ourselves.
Until and unless we will not be honest, we
cant control corruption. If each of us is
honest towards our profession, then
corruption will automatically decrease. We need to pay attention towards professional accountability i.e.,
how much we are faithful and truthful towards our profession. In this way corruption might be
controlled up to some extent.

Conclusion
Power tends to corrupt and absolute power tends to corrupt absolutely.

One thing must be given preference that it is not the severity of punishment
but the certainty of punishment that matters.
Corruption is a method and a technique adopted just to bypass the rule of law and engulfing the whole
system into socio-economic turmoil. Furthermore, corruption, being the mother of all ills, gives birth to
multifarious problems including nepotism, favouritism and negating meritocracy, transparency and
accountability. It is an established fact that the cruelty shows its influence as the rule of law is abrogated.
Banking scams, industrialist's monopoly to create baseless crises, bypassing the constitutional
supremacy, lavish living styles of the ruling class, foreign tours under the head of national exchequer,
general apathy, neglect, carelessness and an attitude of indifference towards national issues are all the
outcomes of corruption which is root cause of all evils in the motherland. The poor are sidelined, the
rich are bestowed, the needy are ignored and the affluent are delivered. However, the story does not end
here. The socio economic situation is much more dubious and gloomy than as expected.

Lack of accountability is an outcome of nepotism and favouritism. How can a corrupt person be held
accountable by a corrupt authority? All in all the entire unfortunate system is prone to the monster of

corruption. In such dismal state of affairs, the question of accountability does not arise. Only lucrative
and emotionally charged speeches and pledges can never come up to the expectations of the people.
Rule of law is the only option that can pave way for accountability.
Moreover, the crippled and dwindling economy and ever-rising levels of inflation are the major source
of corruption. The more the prosperous a country, the more the rule of law are followed. But it is quite
unfortunate to mention that Pakistan is a country rated in the third world where neither the rule of law
prevails nor the economic system is strengthened. The per capita income is significantly low that renders
the lower strata of society more prone towards corruption.
Incompetent judiciary in terms of not bringing the culprits in to the gallows of law and absence of
bringing the corrupt politicians and policy makers to the books is another decisive factor in today's sorry
state of affairs. In the same manner the unnecessary delay in deciding the cases of corruption is a clear
explanation of the adage: the justice delayed is justice denied.
In much the similar fashion, highly centralized economy, breeds conflict amongst the poor and the rich.
The growing influence of the privileged class always uses the influential authority to snub the poor
people. In such a grim situation, the victims and the upper both use their influence at their maximum
extent to have maximum benefit from the opportunity. Thus the capitalism is in the forefront in bringing
and paving ways for corruption.
Corruption evolves as a result of evasion of ethical and religious norms. Religion always asks the
believers to have a solid strive in bringing a moderate society. It agrees in favour of decentralized
economy. Regulation of wealth according to rule of law is the motto of Islam.

All the above mentioned factors have brought Pakistan at number 139th among the most corrupt
countries of the world. According to CPI report, Pakistan has 2.3 score out of 10 which shows its
position very weak while on contrary, New Zealand showed 9.4 out of 10 in the race and toppled the
entire scenario. Pakistan on the other hand, is lagging behind in all spheres of life. This is the outcome of
corruption that Pakistan has lost its identity and failed to establish its credibility in the whole world.
The discussion on corruption in Pakistan would never be complete without having a glance on National
Reconciliation Ordinance, a symbol of corruption in Pakistan. It was promulgated by a military dictator
to serve his own vested interests. It freed all the politicians and civil servants until 1990, who were
convicted on charges of corruption. PPP and PML (N), the big political giants remained the beneficiaries
of this ordinance. Under the provisions of NRO, the civil servants, politicians and major industrialists
were given a safe passage to escape from all the charges of corruption and made them free of any sin.
NRO, most appropriately can be termed as the law that legitimized corruption in Pakistan.
Given the dismal state of affairs, as is evident from all the above-explained short story, there is a
stringent need of implementing religious and ethical values, if the nation wants to get out of the clutches
of monster like corruption. The religious counseling must be given at all levels so that ethics and values
have a strong hold on the characters and actions of the people. Educational reforms based on morality
must be given place in the social system.
Nepotism, favoritism must be eradicated by grooming and nurturing a culture of accountability based on
trickledown effect that runs from top to bottom. Independence of judiciary and rule of law can only
bring in meritocracy so that talented and high caliber people must be employed at the higher posts.
Another pragmatic solution is to increase the salaries of the government servants. Financial satisfaction
to all and sundry can bring in a positive change in the society. It forces the workers to follow the
principles of morality and honesty.

Moreover, the laws must be made strict and their implementation be ensured. Unfortunately, Pakistan is
a land of laws which are never implemented. One thing must be given preference that it is not the
severity of punishment but the certainty of punishment that matters. Such practices put the things in
order and in right directions. Therefore, strict implementation of laws is the only way forward. China
after the empowerment of communist party, paved this way for a cause of change.
Corruption is social curse that must be ditched. The lawmakers in the parliament must take stringent
efforts and evolve practicable strategies to eradicate the mushrooming menace. Rule of law, supremacy
of the constitution and independence of judiciary and off course a free and vibrant media being the
fourth pillar of the state, must be implemented in true letter and spirit. The accused must be given a cold
fist. Time is ripe that drastic measures be taken to get rid of this tsunami of corruption that undoubtedly
has torn and destructed our very social and economic fabric. Enough of apathy and negligence, the need
of the hour is to join hands on all fronts by all members and areas of society to ouster this curse. If
Pakistan wants to run in the race of socio economic development, evils like corruption do not fit in the
scenario.

The surest way to corrupt a youth is to instruct him to hold in higher

esteem those who think alike than those who think differently.
- Friedrich Nietzsche