According to PM Shehbaz, institutions must be strengthened to combat corruption.
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Friday stressed the need to strengthen institutions for eradicating corruption from the country by following the golden principles of Islam and ensuring the supremacy of law.
In his message on the occasion of World Anti-Corruption Day, the prime minister said the occasion marked the renewal of the pledge to root out this scourge considering it a major obstacle in the way of development and prosperity.
Shehbaz Sharif stressed that corruption, in any country, could lead to economic and administrative destruction.
He also emphasized the need for doing away with the practice of using corruption as a tool for political victimization.
The prime minister regretted that the previous government jailed political opponents on the basis of frivolous corruption allegations.
Terming corruption as a major national issue, he said instead of merely using it for political sloganeering and point scoring, serious efforts should be made for its eradication.
The prime minister urged all political circles to prepare a clear roadmap to get rid of corruption.
He expressed his resolve to end corruption in the country and regretted that the phenomenon had been politicized.
“Unfortunately, our political discourse on corruption has been so politicized that it has tarnished reputations,” he said in a tweet.
The prime minister said the ill effects of corruption were well-known including the ways in which it undermined societies and fostered inequality.
“On Anti-Corruption Day, let us fight this scourge,” he said.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Friday appreciated the fabulous teamwork by the National Flood Response and Coordination Center and other institutions for relief and rehabilitation of millions of distressed flood-hit people across the country, by utilizing all available resources.
The prime minister, addressing a ceremony held to acknowledge the efforts by the NFRCC and others during the flood relief operations, appreciated the leadership of Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal and NFRCC’s head Major General Zafar Iqbal.
He said the Center had made efforts for the suffering flood-hit people who had lost around 1700 of their dear ones, houses and crops to the floods which also damaged the road and power supply infrastructure.
He said many villages had lost road connectivity but the Pakistan Army, Pakistan Navy, Pakistan Air Force, National Disaster Management Authority, provincial authorities and governments carried out the uphill task of supplying ration to the stranded people and restoring their access.
The prime minister particularly appreciated the role of former NDMA Chairman Lt. General Akhtar Nawaz, Climate Change Minister Sherry Rehman, Poverty Alleviation Minister Shazia Marri, Finance Minister Ishaq Dar and provincial chief ministers.
He also spoke high of the “remarkable job” by Information Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb for highlighting the catastrophic situation within Pakistan as well as internationally, by capturing the “critical moments” which impacted international viewers.
The prime minister said as the government had a model before it which required immediate implementation to save Pakistan as much as possible from any future catastrophic situation and enhance country’s preparedness to cope with the disasters.
He told the gathering that Pakistan was rich with immense natural resources like Reko Diq and others in Northern Areas, Sindh and Punjab.
He said Reko Diq had huge reservoirs of copper and gold to the tune of billions of dollars but despite the passage of several years, the country could not dig out even a “kilo” of gold or copper and instead lost billions of dollars in terms penalties, fees and tribunal expenses.
He said the country would not be able to get rid of poverty unless it pursued the course as advised by founder Quaid-i-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah.
Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal said the recent floods were the biggest climate disaster of modern history which affected the poorest of the poor regions.
He said Prime Minister Shehbaz himself visited the flood-ravaged areas and the relevant institutions made coordinated efforts from the top to the city administrations.
He said the hard work and collaborative efforts enabled the country to contain the scale of destruction like deaths consequent to the feared outbreak of diseases due to stagnant water. – APP
