KARACHI: The Sindh Assembly on Tuesday unanimously passed a motion against Transparency International over what they said was an attempt to malign the country by releasing the “purported” ratings of Pakistan on the World Corruption Index.
PPP’s Sharjeel Inam Memon moved the motion on an out-of-turn basis that was passed unanimously by the House. MQM’s MPA Heer Sohu objected on moving the motion out-of-turn, but Deputy Speaker Shahla Raza rejected her complaint. Earlier SIndh Law Minister Ayaz Soomro had requested the chair to take up the matter even before the Question-Hour, but the deputy speaker turned down his request.
The anti-TI motion read, “This Assembly expresses its displeasure over Pakistan’s purported ratings in Transparency International Corruption Perceptions Index 2010, and feels that such negative perceptions do not reflect the reality of a democratic government committed to strengthening democracy and equitable justice, and dedicated to fighting the menace of corruption.”
Speakers, mostly from the PPP’s side, condemned the NGO, declaring it an enemy of the country that is serving foreign interests. Some of the speakers, including the mover and Farheen Mughal, used the occasion to condemn a section of the media, the Jang group, for its “continuous biased reporting” against the PPP government, especially targeting President Asif Ali Zardari.
Speaking on the motion, Sharjeel Inam said that the NGO only targeted the democratic governments to weaken democracies. “Why have such reports been released during the PPP’s government’s tenure after a lapse of four years?” he wondered.
He alleged that head of the NGO in Pakistan was had himself been dismissed from his job at the Karachi Port Trust on corruption charges. Memon also criticised the media saying that it published the NGO’s report without having it confirmed.
Provincial Revenue Minister Jam Mahtab Daher said that the head of the NGO was trying to malign the country’s credibility at a time when the government was engaged in informing the world about the devastation caused by the recent floods.
Sindh Minister for Katchi Abadis Rafiq Engineer, PPP’s Nadeem Bhutto, Aaesha Khoso, Rasheeda Panwher, Shazia Marri, Zahid Bhurgari, Ayaz Soomro and others also supported the resolution. Leader of the Opposition in Sindh Assembly Jam Madad Ali said nobody had the right to malign the country adding, “But the fact is that people convicted by NAB are holding various positions in the government”.
“Members can point out the mistakes of some individuals in the media not the entire organ of a democratic state,” said MQM’s Khuwaja Izharul Hassan. The House also passed a private resolution, moved by MQM’s Waseem Ahmed, demanding the government to set up a latest forensic laboratory to ensure speedy convictions of law offenders.
