PAT raises question mark over Transparency International’s report

PAT has described the clean chit given to the government by Transparency International as sponsored and self-concocted. It said that payment of hefty amount to the tune of $5 billion to IPPs in a controversial and fraudulent manner is the biggest corruption scandal of the government in its present tenure. It expressed its amazement over the fact as to why Transparency International ignored such occurrence of corruption. The party said that the rulers kept silence on 150 mega scandals and $200 billion stashed in Swiss banks. The news of transparency was broken by APP, government’s news agency. All of the people know that Transparency is beholden to the PM House.

The report was issued by the PAT media cell here yesterday. It said that the claims of controlling corruption by the PM and the CM who contested elections as defaulters of banks are ludicrous and against the ground realities. It said that the NAB never tires of churning out corruption stories of Dr Asim Hussain everyday but is sitting on corruption files of Nandipur power plant, Youth Festival, metro bus and the Punjab Education Minister. It said that corruption increased in education, police and revenue departments. It further maintained that unjust and unfair distribution of development funds and the launch of mega projects without PC-1are some of the biggest examples of corruption.

The report said that Orange Line project of worth billions of rupees was started without PC-1. It said that it is a project which has annoyed the people of Lahore and they are staging protest over initiation of construction work.

The PAT Secretary Information claimed that Orange Line project was started without PC-1 and maps and the record of the project is being concealed. He said that an advocate general was made to resign for his ‘sin’ of speaking truth about the project before the court. He said that the audit report of the Auditor General of Pakistan for year 2014-15 is part of the record even today, which says that financial irregularities to the tune of Rs. 5000 million took place in various departments of the government, adding that instances of corruption in Danish schools, Sasti Rotti scheme, food support programme, and green tractor projects are not hidden from people. He wondered why NAB does not have the time to act on these cases.

The PAT said that the federal government is keeping a tight lid on the maps, agreements and documents of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, which is tantamount to corruption. It said that record lying in LDA plaza regarding metro bus was ‘burnt’. It said that we staged sit-in for 70 days and our workers laid down their lives against corruption. It said that these sacrifices would not go in vain and fight against corruption will continue with full vigor.