LAHORE: The spate of corruption and profligacy of the past rulers have weakened the foundations of the country.
This was stated by Chief Minister Punjab Sardar Usman Buzdar in a statement issued on Wednesday in connection with International Anti-Corruption Day.
The CM regretted that the corrupt made a dacoity on the rights of the people. Their conduct was a sheer betrayal to the country and the high office they held. Corruption spreads frustration and law and order issues in the society, he added. It goes without saying that the menace of corruption is not only an offence but a societal vice, as well.
He stressed that the elimination of corruption is the mission of the PTI government and maintained Pakistan’s international image has been improved due to transparent governance, elimination of corruption and marked improvement in service delivery.
There is no room for the corrupt in the new Pakistan as a policy of zero-tolerance has been adopted to eliminate it from the society, he added. PM Imran Khan-led government is striving to develop a new Pakistan free of corruption and dishonesty, he added.
The CM stressed that everyone will have to join hands with the government to overcome corruption in society. He emphasised that looters will not be forgiven and the PTI government is striving hard to ensure transparency in every sector of life.
The CM said a record recovery of 206 billion rupees has been made in the anti-corruption drive. The government took action against powerful mafias which continuously looted resources for the last 30 years and big fish have been brought under the net of the law. The recoveries made in the last 27 months are 532 per cent higher than the last ten years, he said.
Recoveries worth 43 crore rupees were made in ten years while recoveries of more than 2.30 billion rupees have been made in the tenure of PTI government.
Similarly, the ratio of retrieving state lands is 6172 per cent higher than the last ten years. State lands worth 2.6 billion rupees were recovered in a period of ten years while the government lands valuing more than 181 billion rupees were reclaimed in 27 months, he said.
Meanwhile, the anti-corruption establishment has also been made an autonomous body to further improve its organizational performance. Today, we pledge to move forward with a commitment to purge the society of corruption, concluded the CM.