LAKKI MARWAT: Speakers at a seminar here on Monday called for adherence to the teachings of Islam to purge society of malpractices and promote transparency.

The district administration and the education department with the support of boy scouts association arranged the seminar at a school in the Lakki city to mark International Anti-Corruption Day.

The speakers included deputy district education officer Shaukat Ali Khan, district Khateeb Maulana Abdul Wahab, Mufti Ihsanur Rehman, educationists Mohammad Haroon, Mohammad Yousaf and Jamil Ahmad Khan.

They said that evils were flourishing in the society due to distance from Islamic injunctions.

Seminar in Lakki marks International Anti-Corruption Day

“Corruption is also an evil and nearness to the religion is the only way to eliminate it,” they maintained. They said when Pakistan came into existence there was no corruption in the country.

“We should think about why this menace has now deep roots in all institutions,” they said, adding everyone should focus on their self-accountability to eradicate corruption.

Later, deputy commissioner Zeeshan Abdullah led an awareness rally, which started from the school building and culminated at Kargil Chowk after passing through the Old Kutchery Road.

The participants were carrying banners inscribed with anti-corruption messages. On the occasion, the deputy commissioner said corruption was the main obstacle to the country’s economic stability.

He asked the people from all segments of society to join hands with the government to eliminate the scourge from the society.

Meanwhile, civil society organisations stressed the need for effective governance mechanism, access to information laws and strong local governments to eradicate corruption from the country.

Community Development Organisation’s programme manager Inayatullah Khan told journalists after a meeting here on Monday that discouraging corruption and promoting a culture of accountability was the need of the hour.

He said the country needed an accountability system where public officials could be questioned and the media was free to play its role in eliminating the menace.

Terming corruption a major obstacle to development, democracy and good governance, he said the fight against the evil in Pakistan had seen challenges as well as improvements.

He referred to the Transparency International’s Corruption Perception Index and said Pakistan’s ranking had improved from 140th in 2022 to 133rd in 2023.

He said that various laws had been enacted in Pakistan to take effective measures against corruption. He asked the anti-corruption bodies to implement relevant laws with true spirit to curb the menace.

Published in Dawn, December 10th, 2024