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Among numerous disturbing news reports that one sees every day, there are two that I have picked up for this column today. The first is a World Bank report which says “Governance has deteriorated in Pakistan” and the second news report says that “Corruption in 3 years increased by 100 percent: TI report”. Both these reports, in varying lengths of detail appeared last week, and what has, disappointed me is that they have not received the focus and the concern that they have done on some occasions in the past The media reporting of these was traditional, functional and the impact was more ceremonial than anything else. The attitude was one of nonchalance, perhaps, and a certain cynicism as if to say that we have heard this before. Heard what before? That governance in Pakistan deteriorated, and this time the World Bank is being quoted. And that corruption in three years has risen by 100 per cent. And the Transparency International is stating this. Not just these two organizations, but several others have been making these observations making one wonder about the extent to which Pakistan’s policy and decision- makers are uncomfortable and embarrassed about them. At the end of the day, does it matter or do we reconcile to it all? But that is one dimension to corruption and governance, and I am sure that there is a relationship between the two. What has perhaps, and I repeat perhaps, escaped the vigilance of the investigating minds, is why is governance so poor in this country? Why does it continue to slide down, for all the investment in technology and equipment that has been steadily moving into this society? Why are the individual and collective attitudes of people who work for a living so professional? Why don’t people want to work happily, effortlessly and realize that they are paid for the job they have? The news report about the governance deterioration in Pakistan began thus: “The rhetoric of the previous regime about good governance has been exposed by the Word Bank report ‘Governance Matters VII’ that states that governanc in Pakistan deteriorated to the lowest ebb in 2007 than a decade ago”. The latest governance indicators evaluated by the World Bank for all its member countries, include voice arid accountability, political stability and absence of violence/terrorism, government effectiveness, regulatory quality, rule of law and control of corruption. On almost all counts the governance was better in 1998 than in 2007. In fact, Pakistan’s governance level was much lower than India and China’s, and in some cases even below Bangladesh.” It is pertinent to mention here that the subject of good governance is a favourite with senior managements in the private and public sectors - and in the recurring rhetoric of former prime minister Shaukat Aziz there was such rampant use of this concept that it lost its meaning altogether. Even in corporate circles good governance is a cliché, much relied upon. The sad part of this is that efficiency is almost non-existent as a reliable, consistent factor in our personal and official lives. Why is this so? One can understand why corruption will just not decline, leave alone go away from Pakistan society. Even the younger people now uphold this flouting of rules, and misuse of authority and power in reality (with everybody upholding integrity in theory). There are given a host of reasons why corruption is rampant. Unrealistically low salaries, the greed of the needy and the greed of the affluent and so on. Governments have their own theories, and alibis about corruption, and amusingly all governments claim that corruption has declined. The previous government used to say that there was no corruption at the top, and how credible that was something that we all know. Corruption around us has so many deceiving faces at times, and at other times it is so obvious that it is considered as an integral part of the system. At the end of the day, the system has not changed. Which also means that the official rhetoric also remains steadfast. And obviously credibility remains minimal, if at all. And that elusive reality of good governance? The World Bank and other such institutions, here and abroad, keep observing that governance is disappearing from Pakistani society. It would be interesting to know how our psychologists and sociologists look at this problem. Whether it is the educated professional or the skilled, semi-skilled, and unskilled employees, the factors that converge to bring about good governance are put aside. They just don’t matter. It is not just a matter of Pakistan’s image that good governance is needed today. The country’s image is rock bottom on so many counts as is well known. Good governance is a hard reality that we have to accept, own, and embrace, given the rising costs of living. It is something that is desperately needed. It is required both in the office and at home, I dare- say. I am appalled at the extent to which families poorly manage their domestic budgets, when simple common sense alone would improve the quality of life at home. This is a subject that needs to be talked about often. But more than that I would like to have the sociologists and the psychologists examine the attitudes that discourage the Pakistani from being efficient, especially at the workplace There is something in the mindset that needs to be examined thoroughly, so that the minefields of inefficiency and concealed corruption are known. That would be amongst the first steps to bringing about the changes that this society needs. One has read with fear and disappointment that “Pakistan is drowning in corruption due to the absence of the Rule of Law”, said Syed Adil Gilani, Chairman of the Transparency International, in a report in this daily on 27th June 2008. The TI report, is truly depressing.

KARACHI: Transparency International (TI) Global Corruption Report 2008 released on June 25, 2008 analyses corruption affects all aspects of the water sector, from water resources management to drinking water services, irrigation and hydropower. Syed Adil Gilani Chairman, TI Pakistan said that Corruption in Pakistan Water Sector since decades has been one of the major cause of slow economic development, shortage of power, irrigation as well as potable water. Water & Power Development Authority (WAPDA) is responsible for major development, operation, distribution and maintaining Dams, Barrages, Irrigation System, Hydropower Plants as well as Thermal Power Plants. Pakistan’s Indus Basin Irrigation System, the world’s largest water diversion scheme with more than 1.6 million kilometers of watercourses, is a prominent example of how corruption pervades economic development and distorts the priorities of infrastructure investment, rather than counteract the pervasive dynamics of corruption. Pakistan’s water sector, like many of those around the world, is fraught with large and small-scale corruption. According to a 2003 and 2006 survey by Transparency International, Pakistan’s Water and Power Development Agency is perceived to be the second most corrupt institution in the country. Close to half of the more than 31,000 complaints received by Pakistan’s anti-corruption ombudsman in 2002 were related to this one institution. He quoted the World Bank Pakistan water strategy report 2005 admits that top positions in the country’s water bureaucracy are sold at a high price. Global Corruption Report 2008 reveals that there are several encouraging initiatives from all over the world that demonstrate success in tackling water corruption. This is the pivotal message that more than twenty experts and practitioners emphasise in this report. The second part of the Global Corruption Report 2008 provides a snapshot of corruption- related developments in 35 countries from all world regions. Pakistan Country report compomrise legal and institutional chances in 2007, application of Public Procurement Rules in Sindh, and judicial crisis occurred due to March 9, 2007 action against Chief Justice lftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry and army’s role in various civilian sectors. The report talks about the incident where Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry had reversed the privatisation of Pakistan Steel Mills to friends of highest government functionaries and actively pursued the case of the several hundred ‘missing persons’. Since his appointment in June 2005 Chief Justice Chaudhry had worked to clear the backlog of cases before the Supreme Court, then standing at 25,808. He had demonstrated an independence of mind that had been missing from the Supreme Court since 1999, when General Musharraf, having taken power, demanded that judges approve a Provisional Constitutional Order barring the court from challenging his authority on constitutional grounds. This they did. TI Pakistan conducted its second National Corruption Perceptions Survey from April to July 2006 indicated that the majority of respondents were of the view that corruption in Pakistan in last three years increased by 100 percent. “Pakistan is drowning in corruption due to the absence of Rule of Law,” said Syed Adil Gilani, Chairman of TI Pakistan. He reminded the political parties to fulfill the commitment given to the nation in their election manifesto that “Judiciary shall be fully independent” and that “There will be no discretion in any administrative decision taken by government servants”. —PR

ISLAMABAD Transparency International Global Corruption (TIGC) Report 2008 Wednesday revealed that President Pervez Musharraf has converted army- granted farmland worth US$690,000 in Islamabad into US$10.34 million of moveable assets. According to the TIGC Report 2008 analysis,” the scale of the inroads made by the military into ‘civilian sectors of Pakistan’s economy, including land, construction, property, manufacturing fertilizers, agriculture, road building, trucking etc; and that full generals enjoy individual wealth in excess of US$8.3 million,” TI Pakistan conducted its second National Corruption Perceptions Survey from April to July 2006, indicating that the majority of respondents were of the view that corruption in Pakistan in the last three years increased by 100 percent. The report talks about the incident where Chief justice Iftikhar Muhamrnad Chaudhry had reversed the privatization of Pakistan Steel Mills to friends of highest government functionaries and actively pursued the case of the several hundred ‘missing persons’ since his appointment in June 2005. Chief Justice Ifitikhar Muhammad Chaudhry had worked to clear the backlog of cases before the Supreme Court, then standing at 25,808. He had demonstrated an independence of mind that had been missing from the Supreme Court since 1999, when General (Retd) Mtisharraf, having taken power, demanded that judges approve a Provincial Constitutional Order barring the court from challenging his authority on constitutional grounds, the report said.

KARACHI (June 12 2008): As diverse sectors of Pakistani society unite to demand restoration of pre-November 3, 2007 judiciary across the country and have started a long march, Transparency International Pakistan lends its support and voice to the demands for the restoration of pre-November 3, 2007 judiciary and draws attention to the fact that rampant corruption weakens most pillars of a democratic society. On June25, Transparency International (TI) will release the Global Corruption Report (GCR) 2008: Corruption in the water sector includes 35-country reports. Among them is a report on Pakistan which documents and analyses military's role in land-grabbing, the legal and institutional changes in 2007, the application of public procurement rules and the judicial crises from 2007. The GCR 2008 also expands on the scale of the inroads made by the military into 'civilian' sectors of Pakistan's economy. "It is not news that Pakistan is drowning in corruption due to absence of rule of law," said Adil Gilani, chairman of TI Pakistan. He reminds the political parties to fulfil the commitment given to the nation in their election manifesto that 'Judiciary shall be fully independent', and that 'There will be no discretion in any administrative decision taken by government servants'. On water corruption, the GCR quotes cases involving millions of dollars and the irregular procurement practices involved. TI Pakistan has dealt with corruption in the water sector before. An 'Integrity Pact' was signed between the Karachi Water and Sewerage Board and TI Pakistan in relation to the awarding of contracts for a major water project in the city. As a result, a clean and open bidding process, monitored by TI, took place, saving in the Consultancy Contract for K-III Project entity more than $3.1 million. This dramatic result emerged directly after the introduction of the no-bribes TI Integrity Pact in Pakistan Procurement Rules 2004. TI Pakistan's second National Corruption Perceptions Survey from 2006 indicated that the majority of respondents were of the view that corruption in Pakistan had increased by 100 percent since 2002. Recently, the annual meeting of Transparency International (TI) Asia Pacific chapters, held in the Philippines, called on the Government of Pakistan to reinstate the deposed judges who were unconstitutionally dismissed on November 3, 2007. Promoting judicial integrity is a vital principle contained in the United Nations Convention against Corruption (UNCAC), to which Pakistan is a state party.-PR

Lending its support and voice to the demand for the restoration of pre-November 3, 2007 judiciary, Transparency International (TI) Pakistan called attention to the fact that rampant corruption and absence of rule of law weakens most pillars of a democratic society that the current government must prevent from happening. . Referring to the facts from the Global Corruption Report (GCR) 2008: Corruption in the Water Sector, which includes 35 country reports and is due to be released on June 25 this year, TI stated that the military’s role in land-grabbing, legal and institutional changes in 2007, the application of public procurement rules and the judicial crises from 2007 are some of the issues analysed in detail in the report. The GCR 2008 also expands on the scale of the inroads made by the military into ‘civilian’ sectors of Pakistan’s economy. “It is not news that Pakistan is drowning in corruption due to absence of rule of law,” said Adil Gilani, Chairman TI Pakistan. He reminded the political parties to fulfill the commitment given to the nation in their election manifesto that “judiciary shall be fully independent” and that “there will be no discretion in any administrative decision taken by government servants” as the country faces serious corruption challenges in the coming years. On water corruption, the GCR quotes cases involving millions of dollars and the irregular procurement practices they involved. The TI Pakistan has dealt with corruption in the water sector before. An ‘Integrity Pact’ was signed between the Karachi Water and Sewerage Board (KWSB) and TI Pakistan, in relation to the awarding of contracts for a major water project in the city. As a result a clean and open bidding process, monitored by TI, took place, savings in the Consultancy Contract for K-III Project entity more than US$3.1 million. This dramatic result emerged directly after the introduction of the no-bribes TI Integrity Pact in Pakistan Procurement Rules 2004. The TI Pakistan’s second National Corruption Perceptions Survey from 2006 indicated that the majority of respondents were of the view that corruption in Pakistan had increased by 100 per cent since 2002. Recently, the Annual Meeting of the TI Asia Pacific chapters, held in the Philippines, called on the Government of Pakistan to reinstate the deposed judges who were unconstitutionally dismissed on November 3, 2007. Promoting judicial integrity is a vital principle contained in the United Nations Convention against Corruption (UNCAC), to which Pakistan is a state party.

RAWALPINDI, June 6: The city district government, in collaboration with the Transparency International, will make functional from June 20 an “Online Complaint Cell” to bring good governance and check corruption, District Coordination Officer (DCO) Jamal Mustafa Syed told Dawn on Thursday. Transparency International (TI), the global civil society organisation primarily dedicated to fight corruption, will develop the required software for the district government and conduct staff training, Mr. Syed said. The complaint cell will help in continuous monitoring of the functions of the city district government, particularly with reference to redressal of public grievances and complaints. The new facility for the public is based on the framework of guiding principles and practices aimed at ensuring highest standards of efficiency, integrity, accountability and transparency in governance. The decision to launch the online cell was taken at a meeting held on Thursday between the Transparency International Pakistan and the City District Government Rawalpindi (CDGR). TI-Pakistan Chairman Syed Adil Gillani gave a detailed presentation to the DCO and other officials of the district government on the modalities of the proposed complaint cell. The meeting was also attended by all EDOs, Wasa officials and director anti-corruption. Once introduced, the public will be able to send in their complaints online, by e-mail, fax and a helpline. The district administration will also launch a awareness campaign to educate the people on how to get access to the cell and register their complaints. The CDGR website will be upgraded and all complaints will be posted on daily basis to maintain a track record of complaints and action taken on them. The reasons for delay in action would also be posted on daily basis to maintain a track record of complaints and action taken on then. The reason for delay in action would also be posted on the website.

BERLIN: The Annual Meeting of the Transparency International Asia Pacific Chapters (TIAPC) help in Manila, calls on the Government of Pakistan to reinstate the disposed judges who were unconstitutionally dismissed on November 3, 2007, TIAPC consist of 20 countries. In view of Transparency International the termination of these judges critically weakens judicial sector. The judiciary is rule of law, accountability of governing institutions and the prevention of corruption. Promoting judicial integrity is a vital principle contained in United Nation Convention against Corruption (UNCAC), to which Pakistan is a state party. The problem also exists in many other TI Asia Pacific countries, and failure to respect the safeguards for independence of judges undermines their integrity. The meeting, therefore, calls on the authorities in Pakistan to respect the constitutional provision for the judiciary to function independently and to reinstate the dismissed judges.

We have the rules but, if our self interest demands it, we break them using the infamous ‘Theory of Necessity,’ said Vice Chancellor, University of Karachi (KU) Prof. Pirzada Qasim while commenting on the moral state of society in Pakistan. He termed society in Pakistan ‘self-centred’ and said that individuals barely cared about the country as opposed to the advantages of self-interest. The VC expressed his resentment while speaking at the inaugural session of the debate ‘Is corruption justified in case of need’, which was organised by the Transparency International-Pakistan (TI-P) and held at the Arts auditorium, Karachi University, on Saturday. The VC said that a mindset has developed in our society that assumes that a bribe and other types of corruption are normal. Such things, he said, no longer induce any pangs of moral resentment. Moreover, the VC was of the opinion that civil society should come forward to help the country out of such moral ailments, which, he said, had penetrated the psyches of a vast majority of people. He also pointed to the absence of an effective consumers’ society that can prevent arbitrary and unjustified increases in the prices of commodities. At the same time, the VC was optimistic that society is gradually realising these follies and trying to do away with them. Furthermore, he termed corruption as the ‘murder of merit’ and reminded the audience that ‘social justice’ is essential for the proper running of the country. “The realisation is dawning on us, though, that we need an independent jury, control of prices/inflation and to remove the overall pathetic state of affairs in the country. These are the good signs, at least at the surface”, he said. Earlier, Saad Rashid, Executive Director, TI-P, informed the audience about the work of the organisation, which, according to him, was trying to bring in transparency in the social set up of the country. “The culture of corruption will stop the growth of society and the habit of recognising each other’s rights”, he said. The debate, both in English and Urdu, was judged by Capt. (Retd) Ashfaq Agha, Director, Bahria University and Cdr. (Retd) Aurangzeb, Head of the Business Administration Department, Dadabhoy Institute of Higher Education. The concluding session was chaired by Dr Muhammad Shamsuddin, Dean, Faculty of Arts, University of Karachi.

KARACHI: Transparency International-Pakistan held a debate competition on the subject ‘Is Corruption Justified in Case of Need’ at the Arts Auditorium, University of Karachi. The event was inaugurated by the Vice Chancellor of the University of Karachi, Dr Pirzada Qasim Raza Siddiqui. In his inaugural speech Dr Pirzada appreciated TI-Pakistan’s efforts to instil amongst the students the need to fight corruption. He advised students to take part in wholesome activities, to involve themselves in the community and become model citizens. Earlier, the Executive Director, Saad Rashid spoke on the history of Transparency International. He described the activities undertaken by TI-Pakistan for the youth and the school children, especially the enhancement of awareness against the evils of bribery. Students from nine institutions participated in the debates. The debates were both in English and in Urdu. A total of 20 debaters spoke for and against the motion. The session was chaired by Prof Dr Tanveer Khalid, Department of Political Science, University of Karachi. The judges of the competitions were Capt Ashfag Agha (retd), Director Bahria University and Prof Dr Cdr Aurangzeb(retd), Head Business Admin Dept, Dadabhoy Institute of Higher Learning. The participants presented lucid arguments to support their contentions. The first prize in English was won by Ms Sundus Arif Khan of Greenwich University. The first prize in the Urdu debate was won by Ms Farah Ahmad of Sir Syed University of Engineering and Technology. At the end of the session, Dr Tanveer Khalid congratulated students for their well-prepared speeches. She urged them to strive hard to make our country corruption free. The competition ended with the distribution of prizes to the winner and certificates to all the participants. A vote of the house was carried out and the motion ‘Is Corruption Justified In Case of Need’ was defeated.—PR

In a letter issued Wednesday to the Pakistan People’s Patty (PPP) co-chairman, Asif Zardari, Transparency International Pakistan (TIP) expressed hope that the PPP would usher in good governance and the rule of law in Pakistan. Zardari was also urged to remain faithful to the commitment given to the nation in the party’s manifesto. TIP congratulated the PPP for its success in the 2008 general elections, where the party came in with a lead in the National Assembly, a majority in the Sindh Assembly and second in the Punjab, NWF’P and Balochistan assemblies. “The nation has reposed its confidence in the PP and expects the party not to betray their (the nation’s) confidence,” PIP said TIP chairman, Syed Adil Gilani, said that corruption was the biggest challenge to this nation, its politicians and public servants, as well as the business community Corruption has undermined and destablished democracy in Pakistan and it is now in the hands of the PPP to salvage the country Gilani said. “It has harmed the public and private sector developments and has given reason for dissolving the previous four democratically-elected governments,” the TIP chairman said, adding that the nation has rejected the parties that coalesced to form the government from 2002-2007. Prior to the 2002 general elections, a ‘Political Parties’ Pledge to the People of Pakistan’ was signed at a national convention on September 19, 2002. The political parties signatory to the convention were the PML-Q, PML-N, MQM, PPP-S, SDA, PNAP JI and the PTI, all of who had come together “to adopt a plan which will strengthen accountability and transparency through an independent and effective judicial system.” They failed to implement the pledge, however, and public resentment increased post-March 9 when Chief Justice Iftilthar Chaudhry was sacked. This caused a majority of the people to vote against the coalition government of PML (Q), PPP (S), Millat Party SDA, PML (F) and MQM, Gilani said.

KARACHI, Feb 7: Good governance and the rule of law are of fundamental importance for Pakistan to develop as a nation and become part of the developed world. It is not the job of a government alone to bring about good governance, but every individual has to strive for this by playing his active role in rooting out corruption from society. These views were expressed by scholars and intellectuals from a cross section of society at a seminar on “Good governance and Rule of Law” organised by the Transparency International Pakistan here on Thursday. Former judge of the Sindh High Court Justice Dr Ghous Muhammad was the chief guest. The speakers included Mr Wajid Jawad, Chairman of the Financial Post, Prof Mansoor Kundi, Dean of the Balochistan University’s English Department, Dr Tanvir Khalid of the Karachi University’s Political Science Department, Dr Moonis Ahmar, Chairman of the Karachi University’s International Rela tions Department, and Syed Adil Gilani, Chairman of the Transparency International Pakistan. Speaking at the inaugural session, Justice Ghous Muhammad said that the foundation of Pakistan was based on the rule of law embodied in the Article 4 of the constitution. In order to bring about good governance, it is necessary that each and every institution of the country is governed by the laws, and not by the whims and moods of individuals, he stressed. “One of the prerequisites of good governance is a strong and effective democratic setup supported by popular legitimacy,” he said, urging the masses to use their right to franchise so that the country could once again be ruled by an elected government. “When there is martial law, there is no law, but when there is law, there is no martial law,” he said. The former judge termed corruption a serious challenge to good governance, and said “in a sense it defines the quality of governance since it is the political and economic institutions that give shape to it.” Dr Moonis Ahmar felt that good governance and the rule of law could only be implemented fully when work ethics were inculcated in students at the academic level. He cited the example of the West where work ethics were in place mainly because of their introduction to students. Defining work ethics as a process in which a nation is able to perform duties in a best possible manner, he said that “it is a code of conduct which also includes performing duties in a professional way.” “Practices such as punctuality, responsibility, character building, teamwork and productivity are all very important factors of work ethics,” he said. Dr Ahmar drew linkages between the rule of law and work ethics, and observed: “Unfortunately, those who violate the law most are those who are supposed to uphold it; courtesy the lack of accountability.” Discussing a number of fault lines, Dr Ahmar said: “We live in a culture of irresponsibility where the media has also failed to play its role effectively; and this has led to a state where mediocrity is encouraged and merit is ignored. It is not the fault of the government; the power structure of Pakistan breeds corruption,” he said, apprehending: “Whosoever comes into power now will do exactly the same.” Unless the system becomes transparent, Pakistan will continue to remain a failed state, Dr Ahmar warned, and said that the ideal solution was to invest in the youth so that the masses could reap the rewards after a couple of decades. Syed Adil Gilani observed that the country had long been suffering because of being in the hands of corrupt rulers. Had the judiciary played its due role effectively in the early phase of the country’s history, the situation would have been different now, he said.

KARACHI: Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation Deputy Country. Director Ms Nicole Ruder and Transparency International-Pakistan (TI-P) Chairman Syed Adil Gilani on Thursday signed a bilateral agreement to support Phase-II of TI-P’s Anti-Corruption Programme Pakistan, says a press release. The TI-P is the Pakistan Chapter of Transparency International and the only NGO in Pakistan directly implementing an anti-corruption programme in Pakistan. Under this agreement, the Government of Switzerland will provide approximately Rs 43 million to continue its anti-corruption programme in Pakistan over the next three years. Martin Bienz, consul general, Swiss Consulate in Karachi, was also present on the occasion. The Pakistan chapter of Transparency International (TI-P) was founded in 2001 by a group of volunteers. Since 2001, the TI’P has published two widely acclaimed National Corruption Perception Surveys (2002, 2006) and has signed Integrity Pacts with government agencies on principles of transparency in public procurement procedures which has resulted in substantial savings of tax money. Maybe its most visible success was the development of two model complaint centres in North Nazimabad and Gulshan-e-Iqbal towns allowing citizens to register complaints regarding electricity interruptions, inadequate water supply, overflowing drains, delay in garbage disposal, low gas supply to residences, etc) by e-mail, phone or personal visits to a centre. As these complaints are all formally registered it forces the government to address them in at timely manner. The City District Government Karachi (CDGK) replicated this model in all remaining towns of Karachi. The complaint centers played a crucial role in CDGK becoming the first city district to be awarded the ISO-9001 Certification in January 2008. Under the next Phase of TI-Ps. activities, the complaint centre model will be replicated in selected towns in Punjab, Balochistan, and NWFP, the National Corruption Perception Survey will be conduct- ad on an annual basis, and the TI-P will continue its high-impact advocacy campaign against corruption.—PR

KARACHI: According to a notification, the Government of Sindh has nominated the representative of the Transparency International (TI) Pakistan as a member of the Board of the Sindh Public Procurement Regulatory Authority (PPRA), says a press release. The Sindh PPRA is to take such measures and exercise such powers as may be necessary for improving governance, management, transparency, accountability and quality of public procurement of goods, services and works in the public sector, monitor the implementation of and evaluate laws, rules, regulations, policies and procedures in respect of, or relating to, inspection or quality of goods, services and works and recommend reformulation thereof or revisions therein as it deems necessary. The Sindh PPRA Board will also make regulations and lay down codes of ethics and procedures for public procurement, inspection or quality of goods, services and works; and monitor public procurement practices and make recommendations to improve governance, transparency, accountability anti quality of public procurement; monitor overall performance of procuring agencies.-PR

According to a notification, the Government of Sindh has nominated representative of the Transparency International (TI) Pakistan as member of the Board of the Sindh Public Procurement Regulatory Authority (PPRA). “The Sindh PPRA is to take such measures and exercise such powers as may be necessary for improving governance, management, transparency, accountability and quality of public procurement of goods, services and works in the public sector, monitor the implementation of and evaluate laws, rules, regulations, policies and procedures in respect of, or relating to, inspection or quality of goods, services and works and recommend reformulation thereof or revisions therein as it deems necessary,” said a press release issued on Wednesday. The Sindh PPRA Board will also make regulations and lay down codes of ethics and procedures for pubic procurement, inspection or quality of goods, services and works, and monitor public procurement practices and make recommendations to improve governance, transparency, accountability and quality of public procurement; monitor overall performance of procuring agencies,” it further said. The TI-Pakistan is a non-political, non-partisan, non-investigating, non-profit organisation that works with the public and private sector to fight corruption in a non-confrontational approach.

Parties urged to pledge for independent judiciary
Business Recorder December 24,2007

KARACHI (December 24 2007): Transparency International Pakistan on November 21, 2007 wrote to all major political parties in Pakistan should include in their party manifestos 11 recommendations for good governance. The manifestos of five major political parties for 2008 elections have been released. TI Pakistan has studied the manifestos and tabulated the results as to which recommendations have been addressed by the political parties.

THE PARTIES, IN ORDER OF THE MAXIMUM TO THE LEAST COMPLIANCE, ARE AS FOLLOWS:

PML (N) 10/11, MQM 9/11, PPP 7/11, PML (Q) 5/11 and ANP 4/11.

Syed Adil Gilani, TI Pakistan Chairman said that prior to the general elections of 2002, a 'Political Parties Pledge to the People of Pakistan' was signed by all political parties on September 19, 2002 at a national convention organised by Transparency International at convention centre, Islamabad. Signatories were President Pervez Musharraf, Azhar (PML Q), Farooq Leghari (Millat Party), Sartaj Aziz (PML N), Dr Farooq Sattar (MQM), Iqbal Khattak (PPP-S), Imtiaz Shaikh (SDA), Ajmal Khattak (PNAP), M Ashraf (JI), and Imran Khan (PTI). In 2002 at a national convention, all the parties signed the following: 'We solemnly pledge to the people of Pakistan that after the elections, when the new government is sworn in, those of us who emerge as the elected leaders of our beloved country will as a matter of the highest urgency come together to adopt and implement an effective anti-corruption reform programme which will strengthen accountability and transparency through an independent and effective judicial system based on ensured access to information throughout all levels of federal and provincial government'. The chairman TI Pakistan said actions speak more than words and PMLQ, PPP (S), Millat Party, SDA and MQM were in the coalition government from 2002 to 2007. How much did they comply with their pledge to the nation on an independent and effective judicial system and ensured access to information is for the voters to judge. The survey report is being released for information of all political parties and for those who will vote to choose the parties who will govern us for the next 5 years on January 8, 2008. Voters have a huge responsibility to choose the right parties, keeping in mind that 'God helps those who help themselves'. TI Pakistan appeals to all voters to think again and again before they cast their vote. On the issue of anti-corruption national agency, surprisingly all the coalition parties as well as the opposition parties of 2002-2007 parliaments are unanimous, and not satisfied with the performance of NAB. All the parties have declared to revamp NAB, or disband and reconstitute another agency. Reference material.

PML N: The National Accountability Bureau will be revamped. It will not be an organisation to be used (misused) by the government for victimising its opponents. Military and judiciary will not be excluded from its purview. The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) will be replaced with an independent accountability commission.

PML Q: The PML believes that corruption is a big impediment to development and good governance. However, regrettably in Pakistan, there has never been any across-the-board accountability. In fact, all anti-corruption campaigns have been politically motivated to hound and harass the opposition. An independent, non-partisan anti-corruption institution, free of government control, will be established with a view to attacking corruption without fear or favour so that accountability is not used as a weapon of revenge against political opponents.

PPP: Politically motivated NAB will be abolished and replaced by an independent accountability commission whose chairman will be appointed jointly by the Prime Minister and the leader of the opposition with the advice and consent of joint parliamentary committee with parity between Treasury and the Opposition parties.

MQM: Federal and provincial ombudsmen and Accountant General Offices, Anti-Corruption Departments, Public Accounts Committees, Prime Minister's and chief minister's monitoring committees would be headed by senior and dedicated government officers and public representatives to make these institutions more efficient and effective.

Police are most often bribed-I
Business Recorder December 7,2007

ARTICLE (December 07 2007): Experience of bribery is widespread outside Europe and North America; police are most often bribed. The police are the sector most affected by bribery, with 17 percent of those who have had contact paying a bribe. Police are most commonly bribed in Africa and Latin America.

REPORT ON THE TRANSPARENCY INTERNATIONAL GLOBAL CORRUPTION BAROMETER 2006 SUMMARY OF FINDINGS: TI GLOBAL CORRUPTION BAROMETER 2006:

-- Bribery for access to services is most common in Africa. The most commonly bribed sectors in Africa are the police, tax revenue and utilities.

-- Government performance in the fight against corruption is not regarded to be adequate in most countries.

-- People around the world tend to be very negative about their government's attempt to fight corruption. Only one in five surveyed worldwide think that their government is effective to some degree in fighting corruption; nearly two in five say the government is 'not effective' in its anti-corruption work.

-- One in six surveyed globally thinks that their government actually encourages corruption rather than fighting it.

-- Despite relatively good scores on the Corruption Perceptions Index 2006, nearly one in five respondents in the United States and the United Kingdom think that their government encourages corruption rather than fighting it.

-- The perception remains that political parties and parliaments are most corrupt, followed by business and police.

-- The public views political parties as the most corrupt institution, followed by parliament/legislature.

-- Police are considered to be the sector most affected by corruption in both

AFRICA AND THE NEWLY INDEPENDENT STATES:

-- These findings strongly support those of past editions of the Barometer.

-- The Taiwanese public reports an increase in levels of corruption in most of the institutions and sectors covered by the Barometer 2006 during the last two years. The public in Hong Kong and Croatia also view corruption as worse in a number of sectors, while, in contrast, in India there have been some perceived improvements.

POLITICAL AND BUSINESS LIFE ARE JUDGED MORE AFFECTED BY CORRUPTION THAN FAMILY LIFE IN MOST COUNTRIES:

-- Political life is viewed as being most affected by corruption, followed closely by the business environment. -- These findings support those of previous editions of the Barometer.

-- Corruption is reported as affecting family life very little in EU+ countries and the Newly Independent States, but a great deal in Africa and South East Europe.

-- Perceived corruption in political life in the United States has increased in the last two years; perceived corruption in Iceland's business environment and family life has increased; perceived corruption has increased in Spain and Japan's political life and business environment.

ABOUT THE SURVEY: Transparency International's (TI) Global Corruption Barometer 2006 (the Barometer) explores how corruption affects ordinary people. It provides an indication of both the form and extent of corruption, from the viewpoint of citizens from around the world. The Barometer is unique in that it gives a voice to those affected by corruption - and helps us better understand their concerns and experiences. The Barometer 2006 explores experience of petty bribery in greater depth than ever before, presenting information on the institutions and public services most affected by bribery, the frequency of bribery, and how much people pay. Also new to the survey is a question to the public about government's efforts to fight corruption. As in years past, the Barometer asks people about their opinions regarding which sectors of society are the most corrupt and which spheres of life are most affected by corruption. Information about public perception and experience of corruption, such as the Global Corruption Barometer 2006 offers, is vital to anti-corruption efforts. People's perceptions are an indicator of the success of anti-corruption policies and initiatives. In addition, establishing which public agencies have the highest level of corruption helps set priorities for reform. Finally, gaining insight into the frequency and cost of bribery helps us understand just how the public is victimised by corruption - and the very high price that corruption exerts on the poorest. The Global Corruption Barometer 2006, now the fourth in the series, reflects the findings of a survey of 59,661 people in 62 low, middle and high-income countries. The survey was carried out on behalf of TI by Gallup International, as part of its Voice of the People Survey, between July and September 2006. This year's Barometer covers six countries not included in past editions: Albania, Congo- Brazzaville, Fiji, Gabon, Morocco and Sweden. The Global Corruption Barometer 2006 is one of TI's key global tools for measuring corruption. The public opinion focus complements the Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) and Bribe Payers Index (BPI). The CPI and BPI reflect the opinions of experts and business leaders, and focus on the perception of public sector and political corruption, and the supply side of bribery, respectively. For the purposes of analysis, individual countries have been grouped into regions. While regional groupings pose some problems, they can highlight areas that have broadly similar characteristics and challenges. Combining regional data also strengthens the reliability of some findings.

THE GROUPINGS USED IN THIS REPORT ARE:2

-- EU and other Western European Countries (EU+): Austria, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Iceland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom;

-- South East Europe: Albania, Bulgaria, Croatia, Kosovo, Macedonia, Romania, Serbia and Turkey;

-- Newly Independent States (NIS): Moldova, Russia and Ukraine;

-- Africa: Cameroon, Congo-Brazzaville, Gabon, Kenya, Morocco, Nigeria, Senegal and South Africa;

-- Latin America: Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Dominican Republic, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay, Peru and Venezuela;

-- Asia - Pacific: Fiji, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan, Korea (South), Malaysia, Pakistan, the Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan and Thailand; and North America: Canada and the United States.

EXPERIENCE OF BRIBERY:The Transparency International Global Corruption Barometer 2006 asks respondents whether they or anyone in their household has had contact during the past 12 months with seven familiar public sector agencies, including the police, health services, education and so forth, and whether they have had to pay bribes in their dealings with them. The results point to the public sector institutions, here also referred to as 'sectors', most tainted by bribery. The TI Barometer 2006 also asks the public about the amount paid in bribes. Most people who pay bribes are the victims of corruption - extra 'speed' payments or illicit backhanders are often the only way they can gain access to services they are entitled to by law, or the only way to avoid administrative obstacles or legal wrangling with the authorities. By revealing the cost of bribery, the Barometer shows the scale of these 'extra payments'. Corruption and bribery always hit the poor hardest, extracting an extra tax from those who can least afford it.

BRIBERY OF POLICE WORST THE WORLD OVER: According to the Global Corruption Barometer 2006, bribes are most commonly paid around the world to the police, and are substantially more frequent than to other services. This result presents enormous concerns regarding corruption in processes of law enforcement, particularly when viewed alongside the sector identified as the third most common recipient of bribes: the legal system and judiciary.

AS FIGURE 1 SHOWS: registry and permit services are the second most bribe-ridden sector, with nearly one in ten respondents who have had contact with them reporting that they had paid a bribe. In the Africa region, a full 32 percent indicated they had paid bribes for services in this sector. The extent of the problem of police bribery varies enormously between regional groupings, as Figure 2 reveals. More than half of the respondents in Africa who have had contact with the police in the past 12 months paid a bribe. In Latin America, approximately one in three respondents who have had contact with the police paid a bribe, and in the NIS, Asia-Pacific and South East Europe the figure varies between 15 and 20 percent. Only a very small proportion of respondents from North America and the EU+ regional groupings have paid a bribe to the police, which is in line with the overall low rates of bribe-paying among the general public in these regions.

BRIBERY CONTINUES TO PLAGUE PEOPLE IN POORER AND TRANSITIONAL COUNTRIES: Taken together, responses from African, Latin American and NIS countries indicate that frequent bribe-paying is the norm - with a few notable exceptions - as is indicated in Table 1, below. In Asia-Pacific and SE Europe, bribe-paying was moderate, while in North America and EU+ countries bribes were seldom paid for services. Bribery in poor and transitional countries represents a major impediment, one that holds back human development and economic growth. The poorest in society are least able to afford to pay bribes and often must go without basic services as a result. And respondents in several African countries, such as Congo-Brazzaville, Nigeria and Senegal, admitted to paying multiple bribes, indicating an even greater burden. In contrast to the situation in the African countries polled, the reported experience of bribery in the EU+ grouping and North America is relatively low, with less than one in thirty respondents who had contact with public institutions having paid a bribe in North America and less than one in twenty in the EU+. This experience of little or no bribery in daily life activities continues to stand in contrast to the perception of corruption in these regions, where respondents report that corruption severely affects key sectors and spheres of life. In this case, it may be necessary to draw a distinction between the different forms of corruption, such as petty and grand. While in EU+ and North America there may be little need to pay small scale bribes in daily life, the public is familiar with reports on grand corruption affecting both public and private sectors. Therefore, while petty bribery for services does not seem to be a major problem, the public does remain concerned about large-scale corruption, such as in major government contracts or in political party funding, and its denigrating effect on their societies.

Countries most affected by bribery

Pakistan 7th corrupt country in world
The Nation December 7,2007

Berlin(Agencies)- India finds itself on the 14th position while Pakistan is at seventh in the 2007 Global Corruption Barometer released by the anti-corruption watchdog Transparency International on Thursday. India with 21 -33 per cent bribery percentage (% of respondents reporting they paid a bribe to obtain a service), Dominican Republic , Greece, Indonesia, Lithuania,peru, Serbia and Ukraine. According to the survey, some of the world’s poorest people in Africa and Asia are hardest hit -by public corruption, forced to pay bribes for police protection, education and justice. The Barometer showed that as a region, Africa suffered the most public corruption. In the African countries surveyed, 42 - per cent of people reported that they had been asked to pay a bribe to obtain a service during the past 12 months. The Asia-Pacific region was -next with 22 per cent; then a grouping of Russia, Moldova and Ukraine with 21 per cent; Latin America with 13 per cent; south- - eastern Europe with 12 per cent; the European Union with 5 per cent; and North America with 2 per cent. “Poor families are hit hardest by demands for bribes,” the organisation said in a summary of its report. “This year’s Global Corruption Barometer has made it clear that too often, people must part with their hard-earned money - to pay for services that should be free,” said organization chairman Huguette Labelle in a statement. The survey of more than 63,199 people in 60 countries, compiled by polling agency Gallup, found that a majority believe corruption in general is on the rise, and they consider politics the most graft-ridden sector. Some 54 per cent said they expect the level of corruption to increase in the next three years, 26 per cent said it would stay the same, while 20 per cent said it would decrease. Slightly less than 70 per cent said political parties were the most corrupt institutions, followed by about 55 per cent who said parliament or the country’s legislature was the most corrupt, narrowly trailed by just over 50 per cent citing police departments. The figures total more than.100 per cent because people gave multiple answers about where they paid bribes. The study found that the countries with the highest level of petty bribery, with 30 per cent of respondents reporting paying bribes, were Albania, Cambodia, Cameroon, Macedonia, Kosovo, Nigeria, Pakistan, Philippines, Romania and Senegal. Of the countries and territories where interviews were carried out, Cameroon fared the worst, with 79 per cent of respondents saying they had paid a bribe to obtain services. They were followed by 72 per cent of Cambodians, 71 per cent of Albanians, 67 per cent from Kosovo; both Macedonia and Pakistan registered 44 percent. Canada, Japan, South Korea, Austria, France, Iceland, Sweden and Switzerland fared the best overall, with only 1 per cent of respondents saying they had paid a bribe. The United Slates, Denmark; Finland, Ireland, the Netherlands, Portugal and Britain did only slightly worse with 2 percent. The study found overall that police departments were the most corrupt, with one in four respondents around the world who had contact with police being asked to pay a bribe - and one in six ending up paying up.

NRO termed negation of UNAC, political parties pledge
Business Recorder October 8,2007

KARACHI (October 08 2007): The National Reconciliation Ordinance (NRO), 2007, is a negation of the United Nations Convention Against Corruption (UNAC) as well as the spirit of 'political parties pledge' to serve the people with the highest level of personal integrity, says Transparency International (Pakistan). It is just 56 days after ratification of UNAC by the President General Pervez Musharaf, the Federal Government on October 5, 2007 promulgated NRO 2007. "This indeed a setback and a reversal of anti-corruption initiatives adopted since 2002 under the National Anti-Corruption strategy", said TI (Pak) Chairman Syed Adil Gilani. The amendment to the NAB Ordinance for the procedure of arrest of sitting parliamentarian (quoted below), are great setbacks to the anti-corruption efforts in Pakistan: "Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in sub-section (1), the Federal Government or a Provincial Government may, before the judgement is pronounced by a trial court, withdraw from the prosecution of any person, including an absconding accused who is found to be falsely involved for political reasons or through political victimisation in any case initiated between 1st day of January 1986 to 12th day of October, 1999 and upon such withdrawal clause (a) and clause (b) of sub-section (1) shall apply, and "Provided that no sitting Member of Parliament or a Provincial Assembly shall be arrested without taking into consideration the recommendations of the Special Parliamentary Committee on Ethics referred to in clause (aa) or Special Committee of the Provincial Assembly on Ethics referred to in clause (aaa) of section 24, respectively." Syed Adil Gilani said that Pakistan has ratified the United Nations Convention AGAINST CORRUPTION (UNCAC) ON AUGUST 9, 2007, WHICH STATES THAT: Parties to this Convention Concerned about the seriousness of problems and threats posed by corruption to the stability and security of societies, undermining the institutions and values to democracy, ethical values and justice and jeopardising sustainable development and the rule of law, and Concerned also about the links between corruption and other forms of crime in particular organised crime and economic crime, including money-laundering, and Concerned further about cases of corruption that involves vast quantities of assets, which may constitute a substantial proportion of the resources of States, and that threaten the political stability and sustainable development of those States. UNDER THE UNCAC ARTICLE 5, PREVENTIVE ANTI-CORRUPTION POLICIES AND PRACTICES PAKISTAN HAS COMMITTED THAT:"Each state party shall in accordance with the fundamental principles of its legal system, develop and implement or maintain effective, co-ordinated anti-corruption policies that promote the participation of society and retied the principles of the rule of law, proper management of public affairs and public property, integrity, transparency and accountability. Each State Party shall endeavour to establish and promote effective practices aimed at the prevention of corruption and each state party shall endeavour to periodically evaluate relevant legal instruments and administrative measures with a view to determining their adequacy to prevent and fight corruption." The Government of Pakistan in its National Anti-corruption Strategy prepared in 2002 had blamed past governments for abuse of power in following words: "Sadly, the flagrant abuses of power by so many past public office holders, even when these office-holders espoused anti-corruption and accountability, now undermines future attempts at tackling corruption. For example, as mentioned at section 3,2, the anti-corruption agencies were used as tools for political victimisation and many thus expect the NAB to engage in selective accountability. There is a fear of the accountability processes crashing unless buffered from political influences in the future set-up. As outlined at section 3,2, previous attempts at tackling corruption have lacked political backing and have originated only from government source without the involvement of other parts of the national integrity system the risk of unreconstructed Political Will is now the greatest threat to the successful achievement of the NACS goals." The lack of Political will of the present government has undermined the goals of NACS, he added. Syed Adil Gilani said the NRO 2007 is against the spirit of the 'political parties pledge' to the people of Pakistan" which was signed by the leaders of all political parties, PML(Q), PML(N), PPP(S), PTI, MQM, PNA(P), SDA, Millat Party, and JI, including the President of Pakistan, the ministers of the government and all participants on September 19, 2002 at the National Convention organised by the Transparency International at Convention Centre Islamabad. It states: "All the parties solemnly pledge to the people of Pakistan that after the elections when the new government is sworn in, we will meet again to determine a united front against an evil that is undermining the future of our country, and which is one that transcends the divides of political parties and persuasions, and on a personal level, each of us gives our individual pledge that we are dedicated to serving the people of our country with the highest levels of personal integrity. It also said that Aware that the corruption crisis must be tackled openly by all, we invite every fellow citizen, to unite with us in a determination to rid our country once and for all of the corruption that has so retarded our country's economic and social progress at home and marred our international image abroad." In 1997, Pakistan and India on CPI were 5th and 8th most corrupt countries respectively out of 52 countries, and in 2007 this gap has substantially increased to 42nd and 106th most corrupt countries out of 180 countries. The TI (Pak) believes in the slogan that 'Pakistan comes first', but feels that unless Legislators, judiciary, Executive and the Civil Society plays their role in just and impartial manner, the country will continue to be at the lowest level of corruption in the Transparency International Corruption Perception Index, CPI.-PR

KARACHI - Pakistan ranked as 42nd corrupt country among 184 countries of the world, while Punjab is the most corrupt province of the country and police is the most corrupt department followed by Revenue and Education Departments. This was announced by Syed Adil Gilani Chairman, Transparency International Pakistan while addressing a Press conference here on Wednesday and issued the yearly report on corruption. He said that Somalia and Myanmar were the most corrupt countries in the world and shared the lowest core of 1.4 while Pakistan ranked as 42nd most corrupt country in the world scoring 2.4 point. He said Denmark scoring 9.4-points share the top scorer with Finland and New Zealand. He said Pakistan has shown gradual improvement in its score from 2.2, 2.4 points but it needs sincere efforts to apply rule and regulation to achieving the goal of reducing corruption. Gilani said that if the judiciary had been freed situation would have been entirely different from today’s. He added that if judiciary had not compromised in 1988 when they had withdrawn the petition of the corruption charges against former Chief of Army Staff, the country would have been much better than today. He said corruption in the Army was much lower as compared to other institutions. CBR and Customs are much better departments than other. He also said that the ratio of corruption is very much low in religious leaders and,added,that an individual couldn’t control the corruption but on the whole we had to work for the elimination. He also strongly criticised the NAB and said that NAB was only focusing limited and Opposition party people under the corruption charges which would never help reduce corruption and now time had come for the judiciary to take serious notices on this matter. The divide in perceived levels of corruption in rich and poor countries remains as sharp as ever, according to the 2007 Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI), report, he said, adding, that developed and developing countries must share responsibility for reducing corruption, in tackling both the supply and demand sides. Though Pakistan has shown gradual improvement its CPI Score from 2.1 (13th country above the most corrupt country out of 159) in 2005, to 2.2 in 2006, (16th country above the most corrupt country out of 163), and now to 2.4 in 2007 (40th country above the most corrupt country out of 180), Syed Adil Gilani, Chairman TI Pakistan said that Pakistan needs sincere efforts to apply rules and regulation across the board, to achieve the goal of reducing corruption, and to become Asian Tiger. He said that Pakistan should follow examples of Singapore and Hong Kong, who are the only Asian countries above Score of 8. Judicial independence, integrity and accountability must be enhanced to improve the credibility of justice system. Not only must the judicial proceedings be freed of political influence,but also judges be subject to disciplinary rules, limited immunity and a code of judicial conduct to help ensure that justice is served. Political will, judicial independence and effective non-discriminatory accountability mechanism for those civil/ defence departments not complying with the procedures including privatisation, and Public Procurement Rules 2004, as well as the public corporations and authorities, are urgently needed to successfully combat corruption which is defined as ‘Misuse of Authority for personal gain’. The poorest countries suffer most under the yoke of corruption. It is ultimately their responsibility to tackle the problem. Low scores in the CPI indicate that public institutions are heavily compromised. The first order of business is to improve transparency in financial management, from revenue collection to expenditure, as well as strengthening oversight and putting an end to the impunity of corrupt officials. An independent and professional judicial system is critical to ending impunity and enforcing the impartial rule of law, to promoting public, donor and investor confidence. If courts cannot be relied upon to pursue corrupt officials or to assist in tracing and returning illicit wealth, progress against corruption is unlikely.

An independent judiciary is imperative to end corruption and the culture of impunity as implementation of current mechanisms, such as the National Accountability Bureau (Nab), was ‘selective,’ resulting in a negligible reduction of these ills in public sector organisations. The eradication of these evils would ultimately lead to economic improvement in terms of restoring confidence of the investors, said Transparency International (TI), Pakistan here on Wednesday. “An independent and professional judicial system is critical to ending impunity and enforcing the impartial rule of law, to promoting public, donor and investor confidence,” said Syed Adil Gilani, Chairman TI Pakistan while launching the TI corruption perception index 2007 at the Karachi Press Club. He opined that if courts cannot be relied upon to pursue corrupt officials or to assist in tracing and returning illicit wealth, progress against corruption is unlikely. He said Pakistan stood at number 42 on a list of the 180 most corrupt countries in the world. Referring to the perceived “gradual improvement” in certain sectors, such as the Central Board of Revenue and Customs, Gilani suggested that Pakistan needs sincere efforts to implement rules and regulations across the board to achieve the goal of reducing corruption by following the examples of Singapore and Hong Kong. He said that judicial independence, integrity and accountability must be enhanced to improve the credibility of the system. He said not only must judicial proceedings be freed of “political influence”, but judges themselves must be subject to “disciplinary rules, limited immunity and a code of judicial conduct” to help ensure that justice is served. Defining corruption as the “misuse of authority for personal gain”, he said political will, judicial independence and an effective, non-discriminatory accountability mechanism for those civil/defence departments and public corporations and authorities that are not complying with procedures, including privatisation and Public Procurement Rules 2004, are urgently needed to combat corruption. He said that in countries where public sector institutions were historically based on patronage and nepotism rather than merit, reforms take time and can require a substantial investment of resources, as well as technical assistance. Replying to volley of questions, TI chairman said no “substantial reduction” in corruption has occurred during era of Gen. Pervez Musharraf, though a slight improvement had occurred in his initial three years. Similarly, corruption was a bit reduced during initial three years of ex-premier Nawaz Sharif but it increased during later part of his rule. About the alleged corruption of two former premiers, Benazir Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif, TI Pakistan head said “any one individual could not influence corruption.” He termed Punjab the country’s most corrupt province. To another question, he said the Army was less corrupt than other institutions. He said that police was number one on the corruption list followed by the land revenue department, education department etc. However, quoting an international report, he said there was 60 per cent corruption in the armed forces in the country. He said religious leaders were the least corrupt. About judicial activism, he said the judiciary should take bold decisions as implied pressure would not work. “Had the judiciary been independent, we would not have been living under these circumstances,” he believed. He also believed that the situation would have been different had the judiciary not “compromised” over the petition against the corruption of a former army chief in 1988. He said that Nab had not produced desired results because the application of its system was based on “pick and choose.” Syed Gilani said that TI believes in democracy as dictatorship breeds more corruption.

KARACHI, Sept 26: The Transparency International (TI) has taken a serious note of the government’s decision to give a blanket exemption to all purchase deals of the defence ministry from the Public Procurement Regulatory Rules (PPRA-2004), well placed and knowledgeable sources informed Dawn on Wednesday. Under the defence ministry come the three armed forces — army, navy and air force — as well as the Pakistan International Airlines Corporation, civil aviation and defence housing authorities and a host of other institutions that transact financial deals and conduct procurement worth Rs200 billion every year. A Corruption Perception Index (CPI) is drawn up every year by the Transparency International, focusing on corruption in public sector and abuse of power of public offices. Procurement of goods and services by government departments is said to be one of the sources of corruption if the system is not transparent. The exemption was given by a bureaucrat who in 2004 headed the federal finance ministry and is now the chairman of the National Accountability Bureau. Sources recalled that the TI had lodged a protest with Islamabad in 2004 soon after it learnt that defence ministry deals had been exempted from the rules of PPRA. The TI is said to have again drawn the government’s attention recently on exclusion of defence ministry deals from these rules. The Pakistan government put into place a PPRA law in 2002 and framed rules in 2004 in compliance with World Trade Organisation (WTO) conditions that made it obligatory on all signatories to make all government procurement operations transparent and open to all. In compliance with the WTO conditions, the government circulated last year a draft of PPRA for consultancy services also. According to the sources, Islamabad has not responded to the TI communication. There is, however, no word as to what could be the follow-up action by TI or international financial institutions like the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank if the government continues to exempt procurement deals of the defence ministry institutions from the PPRA rules. The World Bank and ADB are among institutions that furnish data used in drawing up a Corruption Perception Index (CPI) of about 180 countries. This year, TI has placed Pakistan at 138th position, out of 179, in the corruption index. Pakistan has been clubbed with four other countries: two African countries - Cameroon and Ethiopia -, one Middle Eastern country --- Syria ---, and one South American state --- Paraguay. But more important than ranking is the ‘perception score’. The scale ranges from zero to ten --- zero denoting the highest level of corruption and 10 the least. The TI’s annual report, released on Wednesday, showed Pakistan’s score at 2.4 points and adjudged it the 40th most corrupt country in the world. Pakistan’s position has improved somewhat over the last few years. In 2005, its score was 2.1 and the rank 13 out of 159. Last year, Pakistan’s score was 2.2 and it was adjudged the 11th most corrupt country out of 163. “Pakistan needs sincere efforts to apply rules and regulations across the board to reduce corruption and become an Asian Tiger,’’ Syed Adil Gilani, the chairman of Pakistan TI said during the launching of the report.

KARACHI, Sept 8: Ex-speaker of the National Assembly, Illahi Baksh Soomro on Saturday inaugurated the ‘Youth in Governance National Convention’ here in a local hotel organized by the Transparency International Pakistan (TIP). The convention was attended by large number of students from more than 30 institutions from all over the country. Speaking on the occasion, Blahi Baksh Soomro lauded the efforts of TIP and emphasized that more such events be staged to involve the youth in important activities like anti corruption. He also stressed upon youngsters to involve themselves in the community and work for the betterment of the country. TIP Chairman, Syed Adil Gillani, while welcoming the guests, traced the history and global operations of Transparency International from its inception to its current position. He explained the aims and objectives of Transparency International Pakistan and gave an overview of TIP activities in Pakistan. Senior Programme Officer. Swiss Development Agency for Cooperation & Development (SDC). Ms. Kaneez Fatima Muhammad Kassem gave a brief history of SDC’s involvement in various projects in Pakistan. Deliberating on the Anti Corruption Project Pakistan, she said that awareness was the first step towards reducing corruption in the society. Later, all the participants took pledge to work together to eliminate the menace of corruption from the country. In the second session, Dr, M. H. Qazi, Rector Dadabhoy Institute of Higher Learning delivered a lecture on “Building an Ethical Society” in which he stressed on the need for the nation to be string in ethics and morality in order to progress in the world. Prof. Tanvir Khalid, Professor of Political Science, University of Karachi chaired the second session while the concluding session was chaired by Former Chief Justice of Supreme Court of Pakistan. Justice (Retd.) Saeed-uz-Zaman Siddiqui. Ghazi Salahuddin also delivered a lecture on human rights, in which he discussed the violations of human rights in the country and stressed on the need to improve the deteriorating state of human rights in Pakistan. In the end, Justice (Retd) Saeed-uz-Zaman Siddiqui distributed certificates amongst the participants of the convention.

KARACHI: A one-day workshop on PPRA Public Procurement Rules 2007 was held on Saturday, August 25, 2007 at Marriott Hotel, Karachi, by ‘Transparency International Pakistan’. It was attended by Sindh Government Officers, including Local Government Departments from all over Sindh Province. PPRA Managing Director Khalid Mahmood Soomro presided over the workshop. In his address, the Managing Director appreciated Transparency International Pakistan for its services in capacity building efforts for Sindh province. He advised all participants to strictly follow the new rules. Participants also included officers from NAB and AG Sindh. Transparency International Pakistan Chairman Adil Gilani gave a detailed presentation, and Saad Rashid, Executive Director, Transparency International Pakistan, briefly described the role of Transparency International Pakistan and its efforts in making and its application. Participants from Secretariat of Govt. of Sindh Fazeelat Mehdi (Deputy Secretary), Government of Sindh Auqaf, Religious, Ministries Affairs, Zakat and Ushr Department, Dr. Muhammad Ali (Secretary), NAB Sindh. City District Government Karachi, Office of the Executive District Officer Works and Services Department Tharparkar at Mithi, Govt. of Sindh Cooperation Department, Govt. of Sindh Environment and Alternative Energy Department, Office of the District Coordination Officer District Matiari, Govt. of Sindh Home Department, Govt. of Sindh Agriculture Department, Govt. of Sindh Health Department attended the Workshop—PR

KARACHI: ‘Transparency International’ (TI), Pakistan, has expressed concern over USAID’s showing over 50 million voters under the new computerised electoral rolls. The Computerised Electoral Rolls System (‘Cers’) is one of $ 18.9 million project, funded by multiple donors including USAID, and administered by UNDP. TI, Pakistan Chairman Syed Adil Gilani, in a letter sent on July 16 to United States Ambassador Anne W Patterson, termed the details of the project on USAID website as “disturbing”, and described the figure of over 50 million voters as “misleading”. TI said that the statistics of voters’ list in 2002, made by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) based on population of Pakistan being 132 million, showed 72 million voters. Out of this, 18-2 1 years age voters were 5.5 million. Now, after five years with 160 million population, new voters to be added to the 72 million old voters may be 8.5 million. “This dichotomy needs to be addressed immediately, and the only solution is that every citizen should have access to the voters’ list so that they may check their names and enlist their names if these are missing.” The ‘Cers’ is a project of Election Commission of Pakistan, a key step in Pakistan’s democratic development. The initial basic principle of fair and free elections is a credible electoral list, and USAID has rightly chosen the task of supporting electoral process in Pakistan by taking part in its funding so that the whole election process should be fair, transparent and complaint-free, the letter said. However, the Election Commission of Pakistan, which is supposed to comply with the covenants of the grant agreement of the USAID is not observing the transparency aspect of displaying the electoral rolls on its website for free access of the citizens of Pakistan. The letter further points out that the issue being faced by Pakistan is that the voters list prepared by the consultants appointed by Election Commission of Pakistan under the USAID funds have come up with only 52 million voters, whereas in 2002 the number of voters was 40 percent more, i.e. 72 million. This list was prepared by Nadra which has the computerised data of the entire population. In a separate letter addressed to the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC), TI has highlighted that monitoring is one of the principles of National Anti-Corruption Strategy (NACS), an initiative of National Accountability Bureau (NAB). NACS recommends regular and systematic monitoring of the nature, causes and extent of corruption through reliable and verified data collection, analysis and co-ordination. “TI Pakistan requests the CEC to put the computerised electoral list on ECP website. As the voters’ list has become controversial due to drastic reduced numbers of voters, from 72 million in 2002 ECP list to about 52 million in 2007, it has become imperative that transparency should prevail,” the letter said. The TI letter has quoted extensively from the speech made by former US Ambassador Nancy Powell in August 2003 at the conference organised by TI, Pakistan on combating corruption in the public and private sectors in Islamabad.

KARACHI, July 18: A delegation of trustees of Transparency International Pakistan (TIP) comprising of Syed Adil Gilani, and Ms. Yasmin Lari called on the Prime Minister of Pakistan on Saturday 14 July 2007, at the PM House Islamabad. The meeting was also attended by Adviser to the Prime Minister on Finance Di Salman Shah, Secretary BlO, Additional Foreign Secretary, Additional Secretary Finance, MD PPRA. DG Nab, and other senior officials. Transparency International Pakistan emphasised on the Transparency in all public dealings, and application of PPRA Rules 2004 in all Federal Government Departments to avoid delay in tender awards. A detailed briefing was given by the Chairman of TIP to the Prime Minster, the role of TI Pakistan in assisting various government departments as a result of which tender awards were of high quality, efficient and economical and on merit in the most transparent manner. It was shown that if the PPRA Rules are fully applied and timely approval process is followed, it takes only 37 days to award a contract to the lowest evaluated responsive bidder after the tenders are received and opened publicly. The rationale of inviting objections on the Draft Evaluation report from all bidders giving them 15 days’ time, and the publication of all contract documents and evaluation report after the award of contract on department’s website was explained. Adopting the Rules of PPRA has eliminated all discretion and made manipulation a high risk business. TI Pakistan also informed the Prime Minster that it has decided to request the Chief Election Commission of Pakistan to display the Electoral Lists on ECP website. which is a requirement under the Freedom of Information Ordnance. A commitment to such an effect was also made by the American Ambassador Ms Nancy Powel. She categorically said in her speech on 20th August 2003 on the signing of the Pledge at the seminar on Public & Private Sector to Combat Corruption: ‘That she believe that one tool to which an ever increasing number of citizens have access - the Internet — can help all of us — donors, recipients, and independent observers alike—to keep better track of where funds are actually going. Later this year, USAID will begin posting the content of our programs on the Internet - a significant move towards greater transparency’. The Prime Minister said that the Government has introduced transparency in its decisions in order to improve governance and reduce corruption. The Prime Minister said that the Government would ensure the implementation of Public Procurement Rules 2004 at all the federal Government Ministries. He directed the PPRA Managing Director to send monthly compliance reports. which should include non- complying department’s tenders. He said that transparency was the hallmark of the government policies. The government was promoting c-governance for more openness and to minimise processing time. The Prime Minister said that the government had made it mandatory that integrity pact should be signed in all government contracts over Rs 10 million. The adoption of PPRA Rules 2004 minimises discretion, gives priority to technical competence and ensures that award of contract is on the basis of lowest evaluated responsive bidder in the shortest possible time. He said transparency is the hallmark of the government’s policies and it is promoting e-government for more openness and to minimise processing times. The Prime Minister also agreed with TIP, and said that the Election Commission of Pakistan should hold the elections in the most Transparent manner. The Chairman TI-P informed the Prime Minister the need for Pakistan to ratify the UNCAC as without its ratification Pakistan would not be unable to vote at the next Conference of States Parties in Bali in January 2008, Under the UNCAC Tax Deductibility of Bribes to Foreign Public Officials is a crime for, which till date has been an expenses acceptable for income tax purposes The Prime Minister said that the cabinet had already approved the ratification of UNCAC. Syed Adil Gilani said that the ratification procedure specified by UNCAC has to be followed. The Prime Minister directed the concerned official to check into the matter and comply with the requirements.

ISLAMABAD (July 15 2007): Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz on Saturday said the government has introduced transparency in its decisions in order to improve governance and reduce corruption. He was talking to a delegation of Transparency International Pakistan (TIP) who called on him here. The Prime Minister said the government will ensure application of Public Procurement Rules, 2004 at all the federal government ministries, as the Public Procurement Rule Authority (PPRA) has been asked to send monthly compliance report, which shall include non-complying departments' tenders. He said transparency is the hallmark of the government's policies and it is promoting e-government for more openness and to minimise processing times. The Prime Minister said the government has made it mandatory that an integrity pact should be signed by both the parties in all government contracts of Rs 10 million and above. The integrity pact minimises discretion, gives priority to the technical competence and ensures that award of contract is on the basis of lowest evaluated responsive bidder in shortest possible time, he added. The Prime Minister appreciated the service of Transparency International Pakistan (TIP) and said he considers TIP as an important stakeholder in reducing corruption. The delegation appreciated the efforts made by the government to streamline procedures, minimise corruption and promote transparency. Syed Adil Gillani, Chairman TIP briefed the Prime Minister about the composition and functioning of TIP. He said the Transparency International Pakistan is an international NGO involved in promoting transparency and fighting corruption. It comprises a network of 90 local chapters, which bring together relevant stakeholders for promotion of transparency including government contracting. He said since 2000, the TIP has been associated with the Ministry of Finance, NAB and PPRA. The meeting was attended among others by Adviser to the Prime Minister on Finance Dr Salman Shah and senior officials.

ISLAMABAD, Jul 14 (APP): Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz on Saturday said the government has introduced transparency in its decisions in order to improve governance and reduce corruption.He was talking to a delegation of Transparency International Pakistan (TIP) who called on him here. The Prime Minister said the government will ensure application of Public Procurement Rules, 2004 at all the federal government ministries, as the Public Procurement Rule Authority (PPRA) has been asked to send monthly compliance report, which shall include non-complying departments’ tenders. He said transparency is the hallmark of the government’s policies and it is promoting E-government for more openness and to minimise processing times. The Prime Minister said the government has made it mandatory that an integrity pact should be signed by both the parties in all government contracts of Rs. 10 million and above. The integrity pact minimizes discretion, gives priority to the technical competence and ensures that award of contract is on the basis of lowest evaluated responsive bidder in shortest possible time, he added. The Prime Minister appreciated the service of Transparency International Pakistan (TIP) and said he considers TIP as an important stakeholder in reducing corruption. The delegation appreciated the efforts made by the government to streamline procedures, minimise corruption and promote transparency. Syed Adil Gillani, Chairman TIP briefed the Prime Minister about the composition and functioning of TIP. He said the Transparency International Pakistan is an international NGO involved in promoting transparency and fighting corruption. It comprises a network of 90 local chapters which bring together relevant stakeholders for promotion of transparency including government contracting. He said Since 2000, the TIP has been associated with the Ministry of Finance, NAB and PPRA. The meeting was attended among others by Adviser to the Prime Minister on Finance Dr. Salman Shah and senior officials.

KARACHI. July 10: Transparency International Pakistan (TIP) has decided to form a committee to review and monitor the arrangements for the upcoming general election. The committee would give recommendation to the government for holding free fair and transparent elections. The aforementioned decision was taken during a meeting held here on Tuesday. which attended by Elahi Bux Soomro; Former Interior Minister. Gen. (Retd.) Moinuddin Haider; Central Vice President Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaaf. Dr Arif Alvi; Chairman TIP. Syed Adil Gillani: Executive Director TIP Saad Rashid; Executive Director. Heritage Foundation Pakistan. Ms. Yasmin Lari; Wajid Jawad and other TIP members. It was also announced that the committee will be headed by Wajid Jawad and Dr Arif Alvi and TIP members were also asked to volunteer for this committee. It was also agreed in the meeting that in order to hold transparent election. TIP will give recommendations to the government that besides engaging people from the education sector, other officers from various government department should also be engaged in the general election, which would help in reducing the possibility of rigging. Reviewing the past general elections. the meeting expressed dissatisfaction on performance of Election Commission of Pakistan and the role of Police authority, who have only played the role of spectators during the last election and are helpless in dealing with the election violence erupting due rigging. TIP meeting also emphasized on the need for making Election Commission of Pakistan a neutral body that should work more efficiently and effectively which was a must for holding transparent election. They were of the opinion that the government should learn a lesson from the neighbouring country, India, and the election. which was a one day show, should be staggered while electronic balloting should also be introduced which may further reduce rigging in the upcoming election. Sycd Adil Gillani. Chairman TIP and Saad Rashid. Executive Director TIP highlighted the past performance and future plans of TIP during the meeting.

KARACHI: A workshop was held at a hotel here to train procurement officials of various Federal and Sindh governments on the Public Procurement Regulatory Authority (PPRA) rules 2004. Transparency International- Pakistan (TI-P) in collaboration with the PPRA and the office of the World Bank, Islamabad, conducted this workshop. Executive Director, Sand Rashid, welcomed the guests at the start of the workshop. He explained the aims and objectives of TI-P and gave an overview of its activities. He emphasized on the correct application of the PPRA rules in all procurements in the country to eliminate corruption. Secretary for Environment and Alternate Energy, Mir Hussain Au chaired the first session. He congratulated TI-P. PPRA and the World Bank for holding a workshop on such an important subject.—PR

KARACHI, June 30: A workshop was held at Hotel Marriott. Karachi to train procurement officials of various Federal and Sindh Province on the PPRA rules 2004. This workshop was conducted by Transparency International — Pakistan in collaboration with the Public Procurement Regulatory Authority and the office of the World Bank. Islamabad. Mr Saad Rashid, Executive Director welcomed the guests at the start of the workshop. He explained the aims and objectives of Transparency International — Pakistan and gave an overview of its activities. He emphasized on the correct application of the PPRA rules in all procurements in the country to eliminate corruption. The first session was chaired by Mr Mir Hussain Ali. Secretary Environment &Alternate Energy. He congratulated TI-P. PPRA and the World Bank for holding a workshop on such an important subject. He extolled the participants to clarify their doubts from the experts present. Mr Khalid Javaid. Managing Director PPRA spoke on the history behind the formation of the PPRA. He discussed the rules and the changes in some of the rules after getting feedback from the users.—PR

KARACHI (June 26 2007): The National Judicial (Policy Making) Committee (NJPMC) meeting held on June 23 in the Supreme Court Building here under the chairmanship of Justice Rana Bhagwandas, Acting Chief Justice of Pakistan/Chairman, NJPMC, said a press release. The meeting was attended by Justice Haziqul Khairi, Chief Justice, Federal Shariat Court; Justice Iftikhar Husain Chaudhry, Chief Justice, Lahore High Court; Justice Sabihuddin Ahmed, Chief Justice, High Court of Sindh; Justice Tariq Parvez, Chief Justice, Peshawar High Court; Justice Amanullah Khan, Chief Justice, High Court of Balochistan; and Dr Faqir Hussain, Secretary, Law and Justice Commission of Pakistan/NJPMC. The NJPMC considered the Report of Transparency International (Pakistan Chapter) on National Corruption Perception Survey 2006 in which the perception on corruption pertaining to 10 institutions/departments of the government have been reported. The NJPMC took serious note of the complaints of corruption in the judiciary, particularly among the judicial officers and courts staff at the level of subordinate courts. It also examined the perception of corruption prevalent in the related agencies, like investigation department, prosecution agency, etc, and resolved that corruption in any form or manifestation "is unacceptable, and has to be eradicated". The NJPMC, therefore, directed that the said Report be forwarded to the high courts for taking necessary measures to check corruption among the judicial officers as well as courts staff and also in the personnel of related institutions. The high courts will take further steps and plan strategies for taking disciplinary action against concerned officials and no leniency is to be shown to an official found indulging in corrupt practices. The Transparency International - Pakistan - commends the action of the National Judicial Policy Making Committee, a step in the right direction to reduce corruption in the Country. It believes that prevention of corruption should be the prime aim by the posting of all information on websites, access to information and the elimination of discretionary powers. The Transparency International (Pakistan) offers its services to the committee and all other government departments to help formulate procedures to make their working transparent and free of corruption.-PR

KARACHI. June 25: The Natioial Judicial (Policy Making) Committee (NJPMC) meeting held oii23d June 2007 in the Supreme Cowl building here under the chairmanship of Justice Rana Bhagwandas. Acting Chief Justice of Pakistan Chairman, NJPMC. The meeting was attended by Justice Haziqul Khairi. Chief Justice, Federal Shariat Court: Justice Iftikhar Hussain Chaudhry, Chief Justice. Lahore High Court: Justice Sabihuddin Ahmed, Chief Justice. High Court of Sindh. Justice Tariq Parvez Chief Justice. Peshawar High Court Justice Commission of Pakistan N JPMC. The N.IPMC considered the Report of Transparency International-Pakistan Chapter-on-National Corruption Perception Survey 2006 in which the perception about corruption pertaining to 10 Institutions/departments of the Government have been reported. The NJPMC took serious note of the complaints of corruption in the judiciary. Particularly among the judicial officers and courts’ staff at the level of subordination courts. It also examined the perception of corruption prevalent in the related agencies. like investigation Department. prosecution agency, etc. and resolved that corruption in any from or manifestation “is unacceptable. and has to be eradicated”. The NJPMC. therefore. directed that the said Report be forwarded to the High Courts for taking necessary measures to check corruption among the judicial officer as well as courts’ staff and also in the personnel of related institutions. The High Courts will take further steps and plan strategies for taking disciplinary action against concerned officials and no leniency is to be shown to an official found indulging in corrupt practices. Transparency International — Pakistan commends the action of the National Judicial Policy Making Committee. a step in the right direction to reduce corruption in the Country. TI-P believes that prevention of corruption should be the prime aim by the posting of all information on websites, access to information and the elimination of discretionary powers. TI-P offers its services to the committee and all other Government Departments to help formulate procedures to make their working transparent and free of corruption.—PR

ISLAMABAD (June 24 2007): The National Judicial (Policy Making) Committee (NJPMC) has directed subordinate courts to accept women's sureties in bail matters when they execute bonds to the satisfaction of the court. In its decision, the NJPMC said here on Saturday that there was no bar in the law for a woman to stand as surety for an accused person to be released on bail, and advised the respective High Courts to issue necessary directions to the courts. The NJPMC held its meeting in the Supreme Court building here under the chairmanship of Justice Rana Bhagwandas, Acting Chief Justice of Pakistan/Chairman, NJPMC. The meeting was attended by Justice Haziqul Khairi, Chief Justice, Federal Shariat Court; Justice lftikhar Husain Chaudhry, Chief Justice, Lahore High Court; Justice Sabihuddin Ahmed, Chief Justice, High Court of Sindh; Justice Tariq Parvez, Chief Justice, Peshawar High Court; Justice Amanullah Khan, Chief Justice, High Court of Balochistan; and Dr Faqir Hussain, Secretary, Law and Justice Commission of Pakistan/NJPMC. The NJPMC considered the recommendations formulated in the National Judicial Conference, organised on February 2007 9-11 at Islamabad, on six thematic issues, namely, delay reduction, alternative disputes resolution, improvement in the quality of judgement, public interest litigation, improving the quality of legal education, and judicial independence. The NJPMC observed that the recommendations formulated by National Judicial Conference were very useful and should be implemented in earnest and, therefore, decided that these recommendations be forwarded to all institutions of the justice sector namely, Supreme Court, Federal Shariat Court, High Courts, Pakistan Bar Council and Provincial Bar Councils. The recommendations in the area of improving quality of legal education will be forwarded to the Higher Education Commission and Universities for enforcement. These institutions will examine the recommendations and give their input to the NJPMC within a period of 3 months The Committee expressed its dissatisfaction over the falling standards of legal education being imparted in the law colleges in the public as well as in the private sector, and stressed the need for reviewing the curriculum of the law colleges to make it more relevant to present-day requirements, improvement in the quality of teaching faculty and limiting the strength of students in each class.The NJPMC considered the Report of Transparency International-Pakistan Chapter--on National Corruption Perception Survey 2006 in which the perception about corruption pertaining to 10 institutions/departments of the Government have been reported. The NJPMC took serious note of the complaints of corruption in the judiciary, particularly among the judicial officers and courts' staff at the level of subordinate courts. It also examined the perception of corruption prevalent in the related agencies, like Investigation Department, prosecution agency, etc, and resolved that corruption in any form or manifestation "is unacceptable, and has to be eradicated". The NJPMC, therefore, directed that the said Report be forwarded to the High Courts for taking necessary measures to check corruption among the judicial officers as well as courts' staff and also in the personnel of related institutions. The High Courts will take further steps and plan strategies for taking disciplinary action against concerned officials and no leniency is to be shown to an official found indulging in corrupt practices. The NJPMC expressed satisfaction over the implementation of its earlier recommendation to the effect that more female judges should be appointed in the subordinate courts so that they may preside over the family courts. In this regard, the respective provincial governments have already sanctioned additional posts of female judges for appointment under the Family Court Act 1964, Thus, 35 posts of female judges have been sanctioned by the Government of the Punjab, 24 by the Government of Sindh, 13 by the Government of NWFP and 7 by the Government of Balochistan. In addition, posts of support staff have also been sanctioned. The High Court of Balochistan has already appointed such female judges, whereas the remaining High Courts are in the process of advertising the posts for appointing competent and qualified woman judges to such posts. The NJPMC also recommended for appropriate amendments in the law so as to enable the establishment of family courts in the tribal areas of Balochistan. The NJPMC also considered ways and means to eliminate the evil of perjury in the courts. The Committee observed that the law is already available in Pakistan Penal Code and the respective High Courts may issue directions to the subordinate courts for taking strict action against the perjurer who gives false statement or presents forged documents or false affidavit in the court. The NJPMC also took notice of the publication of court summons/notices in periodicals or magazines with limited circulation. It decided that such notices should be published in newspapers having wide circulation. The Committee observed that publication of summons in the magazines, instead of daily newspapers, was contrary to the rules contained in the Code of Civil Procedure. The Committee decided that the Code of Civil Procedure and Rules and Orders of the High Court should be strictly followed and in this regard summons and notices must be published in daily newspapers having sufficient circulation in the area where the defendant resides. Meeting of the Governing Body, Access to Justice Development Fund: Supreme Court officials said that another meeting of Governing Body of Access to Justice Development Fund was also held under chairmanship of Justice Rana Bhagwandas, Acting Chief Justice of Pakistan/Chairman, Governing Body, Access to Justice Development Fun