corruption in Pakistan

By  Maria javed
Prof reader  Noor ul Ain
Designed by Abiha Malik
Corruption in Pakistan is widespread,[1] particularly in the government and lower levels of police forces.[2] According to 2016 results of Corruption Perception Index of Transparency International, Pakistan ranks 116th place out of 176 countries[3] with its previous score of 127 out of 175 in 2013.[4] Pakistan saw a significant improvement in its statistics in 2013 when its ranking improved by 12 indices compared to its previous rankings[5] – 139 out of 174 in 2012,[6] 134 out of 182 in 2011,[7][8] 143 out of 178 in 2010,[9] and 139 out of 180 in 2009.[10] Corruption has plagued Pakistan from the very moment it came into existence.[11] It was the unrepentant display of plutocracy amongst its powerful bureaucracy and the West Pakistani Punjabi Muslim landowners that partly led to the secession of East Pakistan into the nation-state of Bangladesh.[12] Later, nationalisation policies prepared under the government of prime minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto paved the way for the corrupt elites to politicise the nation's economic planning resulting in a public outcry against corruption.[13] This led the military dictator Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq to draft policies regarding denationalisation of institutions which only ended up benefiting a few rich business magnates such as the future prime minister, Nawaz Sharif, who was also a protégé of the military dictator.[14] In recent times, the 2008–2013 coalition government led by the Pakistan Peoples Party is criticised as the most corrupt government in the nation's history.[15] This led to the sudden decline in corruption in 2013 when the PPP-led government was voted out from office.[15] Since then, there is a growing need to reform accountability and anti-corruption policies at higher levels within the state government.[16][17]