Daily Times

Director General National Accountability Bureau ( NAB) Mirza Muhammad Irfan Baig Saturday said that his institution was working on a three-pronged strategy to curb corruption from the country.

Addressing an event organized by Islamabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ICCI) to observe the International Anti-Corruption Day, he said that the strategy included creating better awareness among the people about the harmful effects of corruption, taking preventive measures against corruption and improving the NAB laws to ensure their strong enforcement.

The situation of corruption in Pakistan is not as bad as it is highlighted, he said adding that the majority of officers in Pakistan wanted to avoid corruption, while a few officers benefit from it. As a whole, Pakistani society is not corrupt, which is promising, said a press release issued here. He said that NAB was reaching out to the students, teachers, members of the business community and civil society to sensitize them about corruption. Messages on anti-corruption were delivered in the sermons of last Friday prayers across the country, he added.

He said that necessary amendments were being made to the Cooperative Act to eliminate corruption in private housing societies. He resolved that NAB would continue to work with all stakeholders to eliminate corruption from the society. Speaking on the occasion, Ahsan Zafar Bakhtawari, President ICCI said corruption always keeps countries underdeveloped, so corruption has to be eradicated to make Pakistan a developed, prosperous and great country. He urged the business community to always discourage speed money, adding that societies invested in corruption cannot attract investment, so to make Pakistan an attractive country for investment, corruption must be eradicated. He said that together with NAB, the ICCI was ready to start a campaign against corruption from Islamabad, which could be extended to other parts of the country later on. He assured that ICCI would cooperate with NAB to end corruption from the society.

Director NAB Captain (R) Muhammad Faheem Qureshi said that it was easy to criticize NAB, but this agency had collected 600 to 800 billion rupees and deposited it in the national treasury. The NAB will continue its efforts to eradicate corruption from the society for which it needs the support of all stakeholders, he expressed. Engineer Azharul Islam Zafar,Vice President ICCI said if the society boycotts corrupt people, it can be discouraged in the country. He said that more seminars and awareness programs should be organized to sensitize the society about the harmful consequences of corruption. Zafar Bakhtawari, former President ICCI and Secretary General UBG Pakistan said that one of the reasons for the spread of corruption was that people do not hate corruption. He said that the development and prosperity of Pakistan was related to the elimination of corruption, therefore the NAB should conduct awareness campaigns about corruption in collaboration with the important chambers of commerce of the country to eliminate it from the society and put Pakistan on the path of rapid development.