Eradication of corruption vital for strong economy: Chairman NAB

ISLAMABAD, Nov 23 (APP): Chairman National Accountability Bureau (NAB) Qamar Zaman Chaudhry Wednesday said eradication of
corruption was vital to make country economically strong and stable.
The bureau was committed to making Pakistan corruption free and has prioritized education, awareness and prevention over enforcement to bring a positive change in society, he said this while addressing a ceremony organized here by Federation of Pakistan Chamber of Commerce and Industry (FPCCI).
President FPCCI Abdul Rauf Alam, Chairman, United Business Group (UBG), Iftikhar Ali Malik, UBG’s candidate for presidency of Apex Chamber, Zubair Tufail and others were present on occasion.
The chairman said corruption is mother of all evils and it has a very negative effect on people, society and economy and added NAB has chalked out a comprehensive National Anti Corruption Strategy (NACS) for eradication of corruption while Rs 279 billion have been recovered and deposited in national exchequer.
He said corruption is more prevalent in developing countries as compared to developed ones and it badly impacts society, governance and youth. It is a big challenge to cope with, he said.
He said Transparency International has rated Pakistan in Corruption Perception Index (CPI) from 175 to 126 in 2014 and in 2015, CPI decreased from 126 to 117 which is a great achievement for Pakistan while the CPI of other regional countries remained static or declined.
On the occasion, Abdul Rauf Alam, President FPCCI said corruption makes production, imports and exports costly, resulting in trade deficit.
He paid glowing tributes to Chairman NAB for his efforts to eradicate corruption and hailed MOU with China to ensure transparency in China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) and offered unconditional cooperation to NAB.
Abdul Rauf Alam said the trust of international community in our economy is returning for which credit goes to government as well as efforts of anti corruption initiatives of NAB.
He lauded the NAB’s Awareness and Prevention campaign on “Say
no to Corruption” which can now be seen on driving licenses, National Identity Cards, ATMs etc.