Pakistan has become the first head of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation’s (Saarc) Anti-Corruption Forum (ACF) for a year, revealed National Accountability Bureau (NAB) chief Qamar Zaman Chaudhry.
“It is a great achievement for NAB as well as for Pakistan,” National Account¬ability Bureau’s chairman Qamar Zaman Chaudhry said in a statement issued on Sunday.
He said NAB had organised the first Saarc seminar in the federal capital last month in which representatives of other South Asian countries participated and the ACF was created.
“Pakistan was considered a role model for Saarc countries as it is the only country whose CPI (Corruption Perception Index) ranking has decreased according to the Transparency International’s report from 126 to 117. Due to this reason Pakistan has become the first chairman of the Saarc Anti-Corruption Forum,” he said.
The statement from the country’s premier corruption watchdog said that the bureau in collaboration with the HEC has signed a memorandum of understanding to create awareness among the youth educate the youth against the ills of corruption.
Chaudhry in his statement said that NAB has chalked out a comprehensive national anti-corruption strategy (NACS). Under the policy, the bureau has adopted a zero tolerance policy and a proactive approach to curb corruption and corrupt practices.
The statement added that Nab during the last 16 years has received about 309,000 complaints from individuals and private / public organisations.
It revealed that during this period Nab had completed about 6,300 inquiries, out of which 56 per cent of these inquiries matured into formal investigation and more than 80 per cent investigations were taken into the stage of prosecution in the courts.