Transparency Interna-tional, the leading international watchdog fighting corruption worldwide, has released its 18th annual Corruption Perceptions Index for 2012, ranking Pakistan on the 139th position amongst 176 countries.
The CPI, which is a combination of surveys and assessments of corruption collected through various reputed independent institutions, scores these 176 countries and territories from zero percent -highly corrupt- to 100 percent -very clean- based on perceived levels of public sector corruption.
This year, the report reveals that nearly two-thirds of the 176 countries ranked in the 2012 index score below 50, showing a driving need for governments to ensure greater transparency within public institutes and increasing accountability of those that have power.
What remains the core issue however, is recognising the fact that the fight against corruption is not just a cause to ensure the legal protections for civil societies against the abuse that they may receive at the hand of those in power, it is in all effect, a fight against human suffering caused by an act that transcends simple violation of power.
Linked inextricably with the exploitation and injustice, corruption is central to the fight for human rights, as it is the vulnerable and marginalized within a society who often suffers the harshest consequences of corruption.
"In dealings with police, judges, hospitals, schools and other basic public services, poor citizens tend to suffer more violations than the rich and see a larger share of their resources eaten away", points out a report prepared by ICHRP report prepared in conjunction with Transparency International.
For Pakistan -whose score has worsened down the scale by nine points- the CPI 2012 report thus hits home the inescapable conclusion that combating corruption needs to become one of this nations biggest priorities.
Having become permanently weaved within the fabric of our national ethos; corruption is something no citizen of this country is immune to. From the telephone line man and the gas meter reader up to the government officials within the highest echelons of power, in Pakistan, seemingly everything and everyone can be bought if one has enough money.
Translating into human suffering, extortion and corruption is in fact the biggest reason. Pakistan remains one of the worst countries in the world in terms of justice, accountability and freedom provided to the masses.
A recent World Justice Project report, which finds Pakistan as the seventh most corrupt nation and one of the weakest and most ineffective accountability system in the world, notes that the billions of rupees of taxpayers money spent on developing anti-corruption apparatuses have been spent largely in vain.
The 241-page report notes that "Pakistan shows weaknesses in most dimensions when compared to its regional and income-group peers. Low levels of government accountability are compounded by the prevalence of corruption, a weak justice system and a poor security situation, particularly related to terrorism and crime."
India -one of the most notorious nations in the world when it came to matters related to corruption-meanwhile has cleaned up its act this year. Ranking on the 94th position among 176 countries on CPI 2012, Indias score is 36 on a scale from zero to hundred.
However, Transparency International -which has updated the methodology for the CPI 2012- notes that the levels of corruption still seem insurmountably high in many nations ravaged by abuse of power, bribery and under the table deals.
Moreover, the report notes that many of the countries where citizens had challenged their leaders to stop corruption during the course of the last 12 months have actually seen their positions in the index worsen.
"After a year of focus on corruption, we expect governments to take a tougher stance against the abuse of power. The Corruption Perceptions Index 2012 results demonstrate that societies continue to pay the high cost of corruption," said Huguette Labelle, the Chair of Transparency International in a press release accompanying the release of the report.
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Rank Country/Territory Score*
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139 Pakistan 27
94 India 36
144 Bangladesh 26
79 Srilanka 40
118 Egypt 32
160 Libya 21
144 Syria 26
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