Balochistan Chief Minister Abdul Malik Baloch has termed corruption a greater threat than terrorism in the province.
Speaking at a National Accountability Bureau (NAB) seminar organised for Anti-Corruption Day, Baloch said the challenge of corruption plaguing the country undermines the development and prosperity.
Transparency and self-accountability are imperative for good governance in the country, he said.
“Corrupt people are hypocrites,” Baloch asserted, adding that corruption had inflicted serious damage to Pakistan’s development in general, and Balochistan in particular.
“We have to stop lying, only then can we prosper,” the chief minister told participants of the seminar, among who were bureaucrats, legislators and people from various walks of life.
Ensuring good governance is the Balochistan government’s top priority, Baloch said, adding that teachers’ posts were not sold in the market for the first time as 5,000 teachers were appointed through a national testing service on the basis of merit.
Balochistan Home Minister Sarfaraz Bugti termed the province’s issue administrative rather than political, and included corruption among the threats.
“Improve governance and things will be better,” Bugti told the seminar.
Professor Fazal Haq Mir and others also spoke on the occasion and highlighted the importance of merit and governance.
They urged the government to improve governance in order to eliminate poverty and unemployment in Balochistan.
Awards were distributed among officers and members of civil society to appreciate their contributions to humanity and while sidelining their personal interests.
