Transparency International, the global anti-corruption organisation has expressed concern over the ability of its local chapter - TI Pakistan - to operate freely and about the recent intimidating statements against its chairman Adil Gilani.
The reported harassment of anti-corruption members and management of TI Pakistan appeared to be a co-ordinated campaign of vilification against TI Pakistan, which has performed its role courageously as it works in the interest of the Pakistani people and to promote good governance.
Media reports have also quoted parliamentarians, political figures and public officials accusing TI of undermining the country's sovereignty and democracy subsequent to the release of Pakistan's performance in the Corruption Perception Index 2010, released on October 26, 2010.
TI would like to clarify that this international index is a statistical aggregation compiled by the TI Secretariat in Berlin from surveys carried out by respected independent international sources including the World Bank, the Asian Development Bank, the Economist Intelligence Unit of London and the Geneva-based World Economic Forum. The team in Berlin in charge of the statistical compilation has nothing to do with actual scoring.
TI reaffirmed that no member of its national chapters - including TI Pakistan - plays any role or has any influence on this work, nor do any data or information generated by TI Pakistan contribute to the CPI. TI's world-wide coalition of some 100 national chapters encourages the officials of the government of Pakistan and its constituent political party leaders to allow unrestricted activity of national Pakistani non-governmental organisations, and in particular TI Pakistan.