Pakistan targets Transparency International with probe

ISLAMABAD - A central probe agency has begun a drive against corruption by targetting Transparency International Pakistan (TIP) that said the country had climbed up the corruption index, a media report said.

The organisation had said that Pakistan had gone up the corruption index from the 42nd position in 2009 to 34th this year. It had identified corruption cases worth Rs.300 billion in different federal government departments last year alone.

Kamran Khan, who anchors the programme Aaj Kamran Khan Kay Saath on Geo TV, said Monday that the government had asked the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) to look into TI Pakistan and its director Adil Gilani and then submit a report.

The action comes a day after Interior Minister Rehman Malik told all his department heads to end corruption.

Kamran Khan said it was ironical that FIA’s anti-corruption operation had started by targeting the most credible anti-corruption institution, the TI, the News International reported.

Kamran Khan quoted a senior FIA official as saying that no action against the TI had been ordered by the government, but only information was being collected and it will be presented to the government.