Daily Times

President Arif Alvi has urged all segments of society to stand together in bringing about a change in behavior and contribute towards efforts in putting an end to corruption to support economic growth in order to bring prosperity.

In his message on International Anti-Corruption Day to be observed today, he said the sheer scale of the challenge calls for combined efforts to confront this challenge head on.

“The government is committed to eradicating this cancer. The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) alone cannot win this fight,” he said

“No country is free from this menace; it poses a threat to the very fabric of all societies,” the president said.

He said that the National Accountability Bureau, being the apex anti-corruption agency of Pakistan, has been mandated to keep this menace in check as well as to create awareness among the public at large about corruption.

“The publication of this special supplement is a testament to highlight the efforts undertaken by the bureau. It also underscores the importance of eradicating this curse from the home land, which is one of the top priorities of the present Government,” Alvi said.

He observed that corruption is now taken as one of the world’s greatest challenges, adding it is major hindrance against development and prosperity.

“Corruption is corrosive for the very fabric of society and economic prosperity. Corruption in Pakistan hurts the economy as well as business,” he added.

“Corrupt economies remain unable to function properly because corruption prevents free functioning of natural laws of the economy. As a result, corruption in a nation’s political and economic operations causes its entire society to suffer,” the president maintained.

He pointed out that each year billions of rupees of the public money are lost because of corruption in the form of embezzlements, bribes and misappropriation of funds which directly affect the ability of the government to provide even proper basic services to the public and denies them their fundamental rights.

The International Anti-Corruption Day is commemorated on December 9 since the ratification of the United Nations Convention against Corruption on October 31, 2003, to raise public awareness against financial crimes.

This day serves as reminder not only to the people of Pakistan but also to the citizens of all the Nations around the globe about harmful effects of corruption.

Published in Daily Times, December 9^th 2018.