Punjab Chief Minister Shehbaz Sharif in his message on International Anti-Corruption Day has said that this should indeed be a universal code of honour, as corruption is an anathema to the progress and development of any country or people.
He said that his policy towards corruption can be described in two words: “Zero Tolerance.”
The chief minister said that the Punjab government had undertaken projects running into hundreds of billions of rupees and fortunately, not a single case of high-level corruption had surfaced against the administration.
“According to Transparency International, Pakistan improved by three points on the ranking for corruption, the only country in South Asia to do so,” he said.
Shehbaz Sharif said that government was committed to one the mission of honest delivery to the people in a transparent and honest manner.
“Home to almost half of Pakistan’s total population and being its dominant financial powerhouse, the onus becomes even greater for Punjab to lead the war on corruption, and we have indeed risen to the challenge”, he added.
The chief minister admitted that there was still a long way to go but “allowing corruption is simply not an option. From fueling social inequalities, to funding extremist views and mafias, corruption is unquestionably the biggest threat that faces Pakistan, like any other country of the world.”
He said that corruption serves a few individuals but kills entire societies and that is why we cannot look the other way or shrug our shoulders in resignation or despair. Reiterating his resolve to cleanse the state and government machinery of corruption and deliver honest government to the people Shehbaz Sharif said that ultimately he was answerable to court of the people.
