Islamabad: Pakistan, ranked as one of the most corrupt countries in the world, says it will turn itself around with results of an anti-graft drive seen within a couple of months.
Pakistan`s economy has always relied heavily on aid from foreign donors who express concern over the lack of transparency in the South Asian country, especially when providing relief from devastating summer floods that caused $9.7 billion in damage.
Interior Minister Rehman Malik said agents would also be deployed in government offices to monitor corruption when the drive starts next week.
"The government has taken corruption as terrorism and we`ll fight it on a war footing," he said, adding results of the drive would be seen in the next two months.
The government of President Asif Ali Zardari has been under fire after the Supreme Court in December threw out a controversial amnesty law that gave protection to him and some of his close aides from prosecution on corruption charges.
Pakistan ranked 143 on a list of 178 issued by Transparency International on its 2010 corruption perceptions index. At the top are Singapore, Denmark and New Zealand. At the bottom is Somalia.
Transparency International Pakistan`s Chairman Syed Adil Gilani welcomed the government`s initiative.
"Corruption is everywhere, in every government department and this action shows they were not doing it before," he said.
Bureau Report
