Opinion | The Corrosive Impact of Corruption on Pakistan’s Political and Economic Stability

Corruption in Pakistan is not a new or a small issue. It pervades every aspect of life be it politics, offices, and everyday life. It prevents the country from developing, renders the poor even poorer, and erodes government mechanisms. From leaders to small clerks, most individuals use their authority to accumulate wealth.
People no longer trust the system. The leaders are frequently caught up in large scandals. The Panama Papers revealed how the rulers, such as former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, stored money abroad. As the leaders lead luxurious lifestyles, numerous schools lack books and hospitals lack medication. The courts are also very slow and not fair. Rich people’s cases take years, and they often walk free. But poor people have to pay bribes just to file a police complaint. This makes people believe that the law only is binding and making accountable the poor, not the rich.
One major cause of all this is indiscipline. Office rules or public life rules are not obeyed. Government employees report late or fail to report. Teachers do not report for school but receive their pay. Court cases are delayed due to sloppy staff and sloppy systems in courts. All this indiscipline worsens the corruption issue further.
Pakistan loses nearly $10 billion annually due to corruption. The funds could rectify power issues, construct hospitals, and better schools. Such large-scale projects as the Neelum-Jhelum Dam were stalled and became excessively costly because of bribery and inefficiency. Nevertheless, they still do not have reliable electricity, and industries are in trouble.

Even the CPEC project, which was meant to provide employment and development, is riddled with hidden deals and unequal advantages. Foreign investors also avoid Pakistan as they are apprehensive of corruption. The banking system is also responsible for the issue. In 2018, bogus bank accounts were utilized to transfer billions of rupees abroad. Meanwhile, small businesses were unable to obtain loans. Politicians’ friends are the ones who receive all the advantages, and actual hardworking individuals are left behind.

Pakistan is stuck in low-wage sectors. Ghost schools are present everywhere particularly in Sindh where more than 5,000 schools are just on paper. The teachers receive wages but don’t teach. Government hospitals lack medicines as they get stolen and sold in private sector. Patients end up suffering and purchasing pricey and poor-quality medicines. The economy is collapsing. Youth are becoming hopeless day by day with no employment and no faith in the system, they turn to violence or become part of anti-government groups. 60% of Pakistans population is under the age of 30, but they don’t find a future in the corrupt system. Even the army, which everyone relies on, has businesses valued at $20 billion. Such businesses do not always benefit the people and frequently stop private firms from expanding. Top government jobs are offered to retired army officers, blending civil and military life.
There are some decent efforts as well. The Punjab Land Record Authority eliminated corruption by publishing land information on the internet. The Benazir Income Support Program benefits 8 million women directly through biometric payments. Some courageous journalists and officers have also revealed corruption, but they are usually rewarded or silenced. However, these steps are not sufficient. Actual change will only happen when courts are independent, elections are honest, and jobs are awarded on merit, not on connections. The army also needs to make its accounts transparent to the public. Without this, nothing will be different. Corruption in Pakistan is not merely money stealing. It’s a whole system where influential individuals make more by deceiving, and the poor are hurt daily. Even government positions are up for sale. Seats are bought during elections for Rs. 20-50 million, and then that amount is made back through bribes and commissions in contracts.
FBR loses Rs 2.3 trillion annually through the issue of bogus bills and tax evasion Rs. 450 billion is spent through electricity bill thievery and unpaid bill costs. Lands belonging to poor people are encroached through force and donated to affluent people using forged papers. The outcome is heartbreaking. In Thar, 1,200 children starved to death last year, and 82% of the relief funds were embezzled. In Punjab, 37% of schoolteachers do not appear but receive salaries nonetheless. Even terrorists purchase ID cards from NADRA officials for Rs. 15,000.

The courts have 2 million backlogged cases. Wealthy criminals escape by holding up trials until the heat subsides. Anti-corruption sites are hacked. The tax monitoring system has not been utilized for 10 years due to strong mafias. Rather than curbing corruption, the government attacks journalists. In 2023 alone, 17 journalists were indicted for simply revealing the truth. Donors also continue donating funds, even when they are aware that 60-70% of the aid is being stolen.

To correct this, the country require complete reforms. Elections should be transparent, military expenditure should be transparent, and public officials should abide by the law. Until then, Pakistan will continue to lose its future to the system which steals from the poor and delivers to the influential.
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