ACCOUNTABILITY IN PAKISTAN: AN ACADEMIC PERSPECTIVE
The word ‘accountability’ has been one of the most popular political slogans in Pakistan. Though only a political slogan, the phrases like, ‘accountability for all’, ‘across-the-board accountability’ and ‘Pakistan has no future until the menace of corruption is seriously tackled’, are essentially a significant part of the narrative on accountability. Pakistan is ranked 120th out of 180 countries according to the Corruption Perception Index-2019 (Transparency International Ranking). It is virtually locked in a vicious cycle of relatively high and widespread corruption. The word ‘accountability’ is a buzzword in routine discourses of all segments of society. Rooting out corruption from the society is, indeed, a daunting task. In the broader sense, it entails educating and training every citizen and institution to develop consciousness of being accountable for the outcome of an assigned role. Pakistan has not yet been able to develop and implement a holistic accountability regime despite establishing various anti-corruption institutions. This article argues that corruption in Pakistan is systemic, wherein, the existing accountability system is badly entangled in dealing with financial corruption only. There is a dire need to revisit current accountability laws to curb the menace of corruption effectively. The scope and meaning of `accountability' cannot be confined to financial corruption only. It is critical to clearly understand the theoretical concepts of corruption and the core sense of accountability, especially by the stakeholders. Whistleblowing is a valuable source of information to fight systemic corruption and the implementation of effective policies to protect whistle-blowers is essential. The purpose of the article is to give an academic perspective of accountability, with a view to suggesting a way forward to implement a system of accountability in its true sense that 'every individual and organization is fully accountable to a legislative forum for all of its/their actions and performances'. This sense of accountability needs to be woven in the accountability discourse for its broader application in the social, moral, professional, legal, political, and administrative domains of Pakistani society.
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ACCOUNTABILITY AT CROSSROADS: GOVERNANCE CHALLENGES AND CONSEQUENCES IN PAKISTAN
- Muhammad Saqib Anjum Lughmani University of Peshawar
- Muhammad Tanweer Abdullah University of Peshawar
- Sajjad Ahmad Khan University of Peshawar
- Munawar Khan Higher Education Department, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
This paper points to how anti-corruption efforts in Pakistan at the national and provincial levels actually contribute to their failure. The broad and flexible definitions of corruption in prevailing laws have led to miscarriages of justice, as numerous interpretations result in potential unfair targeting of individuals. The complex landscape of accountability in Pakistan also evolves from multiple institutional overlaps—lacking clear jurisdictional boundaries. A case in point is the use of plea bargaining as a corruption prevention model that faced criticism for being coercive as well as an infringement on one’s right to fair trial. The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) has often been accused of violating fundamental rights protected in the Constitution of Pakistan, and the accountability procedures are seen as humiliating for civil servants. This paper discusses how the overall institutional-legal framework is shaped by its heavy dependence on the government that undermines the operational effectiveness of the Anti-Graft Bodies (A-GBs). It overviews anti-corruption efforts in Pakistan facing mainstream challenges: political-policy implications, legal-institutional inconsistencies, violations of rights, and operational inefficiency, which collectively hinder their effectiveness.
Author Biographies
Muhammad saqib anjum lughmani, university of peshawar.
Ph.D. Scholar at the Institute of Management Studies
Muhammad Tanweer Abdullah, University of Peshawar
Professor, Institute of Management Studies
Sajjad Ahmad Khan, University of Peshawar
Munawar khan, higher education department, khyber pakhtunkhwa.
Associate Professor
Copyright (c) 2023 Muhammad Saqib Anjum Lughmani, Muhammad Tanweer Abdullah, Sajjad Ahmad Khan, Munawar Khan
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