Peer Reviewer 1:
Corruption is the main problem in the country, deeply rooted here since Gen. Ayub Khans 1958 military coup, the first in Pakistans history. Others military coups followed: Gen. Yahya Khans in 1969, Gen. Zia-ul-haqs in 1977, Gen. Pervez Musharafs in 1999 and again in 2007, when he declared state of emergency.
Corruption is endemic and penetrates all sectors. In interviews I conducted with people working closely with the army engineering core, they said they could earn almost nothing as contractors because the army officers involved in different construction projects are extremely corrupt. They also said they were forced to use substandard material in all government buildings and public roads and services. As a consequence, Pakistan has numerous incidents like the one from Sept. 1, 2007, when a newly constructed bridge of the National Highway Authority at Northern Bypass Karachi collapsed, killing at least four people and injuring many more, including three under-training police constables.
And this is but one area in which corruption has devastating consequences. Every year people die of alcohol intoxication because traders mix poor substances; crops are declining because farmers get substandard pesticides, etc, while funds go into bribing and into selected pockets.
Corruption is present at all levels of society. Working-class officers are involved in corruption schemes mainly because of two reasons: first, because they are made scapegoats by the high-ranking officers when it comes to justifying their expenses and luxuries, second because they are all under-paid. This gives them enough justification to routinely accept bribes in order to be able to cover the expenses for food, education, health care, cultural customs, etc.
The reconciliation ordinance is the biggest example of corruption that goes from top to bottom. When martial law was imposed, eight judges were humiliated, media representatives were harmed, human rights activists and lawyers were brutally beaten and arrested all in order to hide corruption.
I believe that even if international forces intervene, it is up to Pakistan to solve its own internal corruption problems.
Peer Reviewer 2:
I am writing these comments at a time when there is no law enforcing agency in Pakistan, as the so-called emergency (Marshal Law) has implemented the law of the jungle, which is a clear violation of the constitution of Pakistan. On the whole, I agree with the information and contents of the Reporters Notebook, and I commend the reporter. However I have some more information to add.
The pace of poverty reduction and human development has been much slower than the pace of economic growth in Pakistan. Earlier in 2007, Mahbub-ul-Haq Human Development Centre-Pakistan published its annual report on human development in South Asia. This report, in its chapter on Pakistan, concluded that the implementation of poverty reduction programs in this country suffer from several problems, such as political interference and lack of financial transparency. This has resulted not only in neglecting the poor (which constitute the majority of the population) but also in engulfing most resources devoted to poverty alleviation in Pakistan.
In 2007, there was a brave move from one of the security analysts in Pakistan, Dr. Ayesha Siddiqa, to publish a book: Military Inc. The author mainly depicted how the power of the military has transformed Pakistani society, in which the armed forces have become an independent class entrenched in the corporate sector, thus controlling major assets of Pakistan. I feel that corruption inside the military institutions is very far away from the hands of accountability mechanisms, as there are military guys even sitting inside the National Accountability Bureau of Pakistan. Moreover, the military has its internal audit teams.
Another example is that of the National Logistics Corporation (NLC), which is associated with the Pakistan Army. On many occasions, the NLC was awarded contracts without even inviting bids. The military has a strong control over the financial institutions of Pakistan and therefore takes most of Pakistans national budget and enjoy luxuries by spending national resources.
I would now like to refer to the Transparency International study National Corruption Perception Survey-2006 of Pakistan. This survey has studied only the corruption the public faces when they try to obtain services from government departments: These services are meant to be provided free of cost, but the common man has to go through a lot of hassle and part away with his hard earned money. There are different ways of getting ones legal and legitimate work done in Pakistan, and involving corruption/bribes is normally the most convenient one.
Complaints of stolen cars are increasing in police stations of Pakistan, but so far no concrete actions have been taken. On occasion, there have been complaints even against the members of the police community for supporting these car thieves by allowing them to drive these cars into the Northern areas of Pakistan and to sell them there. One real life experience from six month ago involved my sister-in-laws car, which was stolen from one of the busiest markets in Pakistan. On that occasion, police was standing next to her car, but blindfolded and deaf. Few months later someone from the police station informed us that we can recover our car by paying 60,000 rupees (US$985), but even that doesnt work in most cases. The Daily Times reported in August 2004 that the Anti-Vehicles Lifting Staff arrested a 12-member gang and recovered 27 stolen cars, however we need more such examples in the form of concrete actions from the police department.
At times, people are just forced into tasting and experiencing corruption. Only two days ago, one of my relatives was asked by a policeman at the check post in interior Punjab to pay 500 rupees (US$8) or stay at the police check-post with the car for a few hours, until they would verify the car documents. Finally, after a little bit of bargaining, my relative managed to escape after paying a 100 rupee- (US$1.6) bribe. My relative still feels guilty for paying the bribe, but, realistically, he did not have any other choice in the middle of night.
The bitter flavor of corruption and poor governance was tasted by most Pakistanis during the month of Ramadan in 2007, when prices of basic items like flour and tomatoes surged. During this time, a 20-kilogram flour bag was sold at 330 to 345 rupees (US$5.4-5.6), however now it is sold at its normal price of 296 rupees (US$4.8); the price of tomatoes more that tripled, from 40 rupees (US$0.7) to 150 rupees (US$2.5). The government registered cases against hoarders and black marketers, but people continue to suffer for most of the time during Ramadan.
While commenting on the Reporters Notebook, I asked all my colleagues about how corruption has directly influenced their lives. Heres an answer from one of them, Abdul Rauf from Fateh Jhang-Pakistan: I do remember once I had to get my newly purchased motorbike transferred in my name. I went to the nearest court and asked the helpdesk personnel about the procedures, and he gave me the following two options: the first was to go through the proper channel, which would take about a month, and the second to go through the agents sitting outside the court, and get it done within a week.
Actually, corruption has deeply penetrated our society, and now, most of the times, people involved in it dont really feel it.
In the end I would like to say that probably the writer didnt have enough space to add examples from all ways a common citizen of Pakistan is faced with corruption.
References: Human Development in South Asia (2006). Mahbub-ul-Haq Human Development Centre, Oxford University Press, Karachi. Siddiqa, A. (2007). Military Inc: Inside Pakistans Military Economy, Oxford University Press, Karachi. National Corruption Perception Survey (2006). Transparency International-Pakistan.
Peer Reviewer 3:
I believe that the Reporter's Notebook is, at best, a very general and superfluous account of corruption in Pakistan. It can at most be described as a bird's eye view of the society that is mired in corruption. The quotes talk about general things and provide a sketchy account of the menace. However, I couldn't agree more with the statement corruption has attained phenomenal proportions.
The moment you get in touch with any government department or agency, you start having the taste of corruption right from the grass-root level. For example, if you are looted or robbed, you have go to a police station to get the First Information Report registered. There are only two ways to do it: you either pay the Station House Officer (SHO) or you have the recommendation of some powerful and influential person in the area. It doesn't stop there. You then go to court and have to pay the court clerk to set the date of the hearing. At the end of the day, in more cases than not, you have to pay the lower judiciary to get the favorable decision.
However, I believe it would be an understatement to consider this problem just as a social menace. Corruption in Pakistan is institutionalized. It has something to do with the absolute absence of respect for the rule of law within the ruling elite. When the very constitution is subverted and raped by successive military governments, it would be a fantasy to expect that laws be actually enforced. The ruling class in Pakistan consists of the army, judiciary, bureaucracy and politicians. The latter three are the junior partners in this systematic plunder.
Take the privatization cases of state-run businesses. A leading bank (Habib Bank) with a vast national and international network was sold for a meager 22 billion rupees (US$352 million). Experts unanimously believe that the price is far less than the cost of the land where the bank's head offices stand in Karachi. A look should also be taken at the dubious sale of Pakistan Steel. It was a profit-making organization when it was sold to a dubious consortium, which was widely believed to be a figurehead for vested interests. The huge state-owned mill was up for grabs for just 19 billion rupees (US$304 million)again, far less than the price of real estate the mill owned. The same is the case with KSE, the company that supplies power to Karachi. The privatization (read sell-off) of Pakistan Telecommunication Corporation also produced a big scam. Finally, the UAE-based Etisalat got the bounty for less than half of the original the price.
These are very passing examples. The point I am trying to make is that corruption is rampant in society because of two factors: it is institutionalized, and it is norm in Pakistan. The menace has traveled from top to bottom rather than the other way around. As I previously mentioned, bureaucracy and judiciary along with pro-establishment politicians have made billions under the leadership of the army (See Military Inc by Ayesha Siddiqa Agha). The business wing of the Army Welfare Trust was originally a fund to provide sustenance to retired ex-servicemen. Today it runs more than 50 businesses that include cement, fertilizers, sugar, mineral water, gas stations and everything else one can think of.
I believe, therefore, that we can better understand corruption if we understand the power centers in the Pakistani society. Corruption in the private sector is just a fall-out of the system that Pakistani ruling classes have carved over the years. If a doctor, teacher, lawyer or journalist is corrupt, he/she is indeed a criminal but, in essence, he/she just follows the system of money-making that the ruling elite has created for him/her to work in.
As many independent watchdogs have suggested, we can also look at corruption and money laundering as basically a parallel economy, which far exceeds the documented economy of Pakistan. The parallel economy has been built over the years through minting and embezzling foreign aid, trafficking drugs and illegal arms, and through kickbacks. These practices created the new rich, who are now enormously rich. The middle class and lower classes were forced to follow. The phenomenon created a chain reaction of sorts.
Peer Reviewer 4:
In Pakistan, corruption has attained phenomenal proportions. It has deep roots and is pervasive at all levels, mostly in the lower strata of society. According to Mohammad Khurshid, a senior journalist with The Statement, You taste it at every turn and feel it at every step. It is mushrooming by the day.
Khurshid, from the Bajaur Agency of Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA), explained it with regard to the prevailing situation in his region, Every person living in FATA has to pay formal and informal payments to the governments functionaries or intermediaries even to get basic necessities in the area, and a hungry man thinks about nothing but food.
Another journalist from the same area, Nasir Dawar, who is presently working for Aaj TV, reported with reference to the prevailing flour crisis which has become a recurrent feature of life in NWFP, that a mere sack of wheat flour sells for 890 rupees (US$15) in the market usually. However, a permit of 110 rupees (US$2) is issued for each sack as its entry fee in FATA, besides other charges. Once it reaches there, it is sold for at least 1,200 rupees (US$20), depending on the market demand. At least 35 rupees (US$0.57) of the permit price goes to the Water and Power Development Authority for electricity charges, but, interestingly, not many people have electricity in their homes or even in their areas. They pay for what they never consume. From this single event one can imagine the phenomenal level that corruption has rose to in present times in Pakistan.
Similar events in other parts of the country exist, and they highlight the issues regarding corruption in our daily lives. Safiullah Gul, a reporter with Geo TV in Karachi, pointed out that the state of the health care and education systems in the south is dismal. There are a number of cartels in the medical profession at work in Karachi, who are pretty well-known just for minting money, but the poor are left with no other option but to submit themselves to the weary and toiling conditions. They get robbed, and they know the money will not get them the required service.
Another major and unavoidable situation that the poor face is child birth. A pregnant woman is lucky if she delivers in a hospital without undergoing a caesarian operation. The doctors wont wait more than 10 minutes, because in normal deliveries they lose at least 30,000 rupees (US$495). The would-be parents are pressured into surgery even for normal deliveries, and the newborn is mired in debt even before it opens its eyes. A caesarian operation costs more than 40,000 rupees (US$660), while a natural birth costs between 8,000 to 10,000 rupees (US$132-US$165), depending on the case. So, a man who earns less than 5,000 rupees (US$82) a month at the most must either work endlessly or look for some easy ways to make money. Thus a profession which claims sanctity and sacredness is beset with horrible and miserable attitudes.
In a way it has become a national feature of our characters right from the top to the bottom. You face corruption in the morning, when you go buy milk from a shop, Gul said. Everybody except for the privileged few, pay for what they never get, he commented. Nobody is bothered by what sells on the street, or what is happening across the country, especially in the urban areas where the supposedly writ of law is still intact. The situation in rural and peripheral areas presents an even worse picture.
In the southern Sindh and Balochistan provinces, heavy rains and floods in July and August took a serious toll on educational facilities. At least 1,800 school buildings were damaged, while others were washed away altogether. Some were being used as shelters by families rendered homeless in the two provinces. This means that at least 70,000 children will not have schools to attend when schools reopen in mid-August, Gul reported, citing a recent UNICEF study on the floods in the two provinces.
Thus the overall scenario in Pakistan apparently appears to be bleak, with the social fast falling apart. Mounting incidents of violence during the past year, and more so in the recent months, have wrecked the nerves of the nation and instilled fear and insecurity among the poor and rich alike. People are scared to go to offices, where they have to pay informal payments or bribe corrupt officials, or even when they have to seek some favor to get a legitimate work done, because those in charge would hate to see it stopped, said Mohammad Riaz, a senior journalist based in Peshawar with the daily Dawn.
From January 2007 to August 2007, at least 1,100 people were reported to have been killed in more than 570 violent incidents, including militants attacks, suicide bombings, sectarian clashes, operational attacks and ethnic and political clashes throughout the country. Almost 40 incidents were the results of suicide attacks.
The most unbelievable and dramatic uprising after the events of the Red Mosque of Islamabad occurred in August 2007 in the tribal town of Darra Adamkhel, on the Indus Highway. Local militants occupied the entire town, which is famous for gun-manufacturing and narcotics, in order to carry out an operation against an alleged kidnapper. Once the road blockade was lifted and traffic resumed, thousands of commuters who remained stranded either in Peshawar or Kohat city for two days could see fleeting glimpses of small groups of masked militants formidably armed with assault rifles, rocket-propelled grenades and rocket launchers. Thick columns of smoke billowed from the kidnappers houses, who himself was killed in a fierce gun battle during the town siege. No government officials or security forces were visible. The air was somber and a growing fear possessed the people. These are some of the few cited events which are assuming the status of daily routine in Pakistan, something which the elders refer to as novel and unknown.
One can probably understand and feel the chilling fear which has wrapped the innocent minds in the recent days. Six-year-old Amir sought his fathers consent to skip his evening Quran lessons at the village seminary. Baba, I will not go to the madrassah today. The television shows footage of the Islamabad mosque where the children are held hostage, Amir continued. Our cleric also gets harsh and beats children. I want to skip the lesson today. This is what is occurring in the very land which was worlds first civilization hub and the most serene and productive area, which attracted the peace-seekers. This is what a new breed of religious intolerance is taking on the innocent lives of the millions in the name of religion. But the government and its ministers are primarily preoccupied with garnering public support for their leaders in the next general elections. A new generation is in the making, but will their fate be determined by the failures of the current generation?
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