KARACHI: The Ministry of Interior has launched a grassroots-level crackdown on corruption in all government departments, Pakistan Today learnt on Thursday.
As an initial step in this direction, the county’s intelligence agencies, on the directives of Interior Minister Rehman Malik, have started investigations against corrupt officials in over a dozen government departments.
The public departments identified by the Interior Ministry for an inquiry include the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR), Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA), Pakistan State Oil (PSO), Karachi Stock Exchange (KSE), Pakistan Railways (PR), Ministry of Ports and Shipping, Pakistan Customs, Ministry of Excise and Taxation,
Capital Development Authority (CDA), National Highway Authority (NHA), Overseas Employment Corporation (OEC), National Database Regulatory Authority (NADRA), Immigration and Passports and home and police departments of all four provinces.
The ministry has also ordered the intelligence agencies to identify those involved in malpractices like SMS-oriented stock exchange maneuvering, satta dealing, overseas employment promoters, human trafficking agents, illegal import of liquor and the corruption in Afghan transit trade etc. “Immediate action may be taken into the corruption at the grassroots level in all public departments,” Malik told heads of the departments concerned in a letter available with Pakistan Today.
Letter no 7/133/2010-FIA, which was issued by the minister’s bureau on the first of this month, revealed that the ministry had taken notice of the irregularities in the Utility Bills Department of WAPDA, Import and Export Department of Customs and Excise, Ticketing Department of PR, Contract and Billing Department of NHA, oil theft in PSO, the Passport and Immigration Department and SMS-oriented maneuvering at KSE.
According to the letter, the move is the government’s “first step” towards enhancing quality of public offices and to provide corruption-free services to the masses. “All zonal directors of FIA may be strictly directed to hold fortnightly meetings with all concerned heads of departments,” the letter said.
The minister also asked the directors general of the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) and Intelligence Bureau (IB) to monitor any irregularity or harassment by any official of the FIA.
According to the letter, the Interior Ministry also established a task force to root out the menace besides setting up an Anti-Corruption Cell to receive public complaints.
