Transparency International releases statement in support of its Pakistan chapter after reported threat of a shutdown
LONDON (TrustLaw) – Transparency International (TI) expressed concern this week about media reports which suggest Pakistan’s government may shut down the national chapter of the anti-corruption watchdog.
The Asian News International (ANI) news agency said during a visit to the headquarters of Pakistan’s Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) on Saturday, Interior Minister Rehman Malik called TI-Pakistan a “detective agency” and said it would be prosecuted for bribing government officials to extract information from them.
The reported allegations come just weeks after Pakistan, perceived to be one of the most corrupt countries in the world, vowed to turn itself around, promising visible results of an anti-graft drive within two months.
TI said it had written to Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari last month following earlier allegations in the media against TI-Pakistan. In that letter, it expressed concerns about “threats that undermined the operation” of the watchdog, and urged Zardari to guarantee the rule of law and freedom and safety of TI Pakistan staff.
The ANI report prompted TI to write to Supreme Court Chief Justice Mr Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry this week, the watchdog said.
"TI renews its expression of concern and urges that TI Pakistan should be protected from illegal or extrajudicial acts to fetter its anti-corruption work,” TI said in a statement.
Pakistan ranked 143 on a list of 178 issued by Transparency International on its 2010 corruption perceptions index. At the top are Singapore, Denmark and New Zealand. At the bottom is Somalia.
Zardari’s government has been under fire after the Supreme Court in December threw out a controversial amnesty law that gave protection to him and some of his close aides from prosecution on corruption charges.
Foreign donors who provide most of the aid on which Pakistan's economy has always relied, have expressed concerns about the lack of transparency in the South Asian country, especially when offering relief from devastating summer floods that caused $9.7 billion in damage.
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