KARACHI: The Transparency International Pakistan (TIP), which is often criticised for its 'divisive findings' has released yet another yearly survey report pertaining to what it terms corruption perception, with apprehension of deterioration in the fields of taxation, customs, tendering and contracting and courts.

According to TIP's national corruption perception survey, 2011, a summary of which was released at a press conference here on Wednesday, land administration and police were the two most corrupt and education and military least corrupt departments.

The military, included in the survey for the first time, was a rank above the education department.

Contrary to the past surveys, the latest, fifth since 2002, has been conducted by Gallup Pakistan with a cut-off date of October for field activities. One of the parties had pulled out of the survey job because of increased government pressure, a TIP office-bearer said.

The organisation's chairman Sohail Mirza and adviser Syed Adil Gilani spoke at the press conference.

They said the most alarming was the increase in corruption ranks of income tax, customs and tendering and contracting to 3rd, 7th and 6th among the most corrupt from 8th, 9th and 10th in 2010.

The judiciary and courts became the 4th most corrupt sector from 6th recorded last year.

Mr Gilani said unwilling public prosecution in a number of alleged cases of major corruption, pending proceedings and delay in punishment had contributed to the development of a perception that the judicial system had also fallen prey to corruption.

Mr Muzaffar alleged that corruption had reached an unprecedented level in the country.

He said a lack of accountability was being witnessed because of delay in punitive action by state organs against corrupt elements in cases pertaining to Pakistan Steel, NICL, Punjab Bank, rental power plants, last year's Haj, KESC, PIA, railways and Wapda.

He claimed that the judiciary was facing a deliberate defiance in implementing Supreme Court orders and an unwilling attitude of prosecution agencies. He said 26 of 40 posts of judges were vacant in the Sindh High Court. The judiciary ranked 4th in 2002 survey, 3rd in 2006 and 7th in 2009.

Tendering and contracting activities had remained at the 10th position for two years before jumping to 6th this year.

A TIP office-bearer alleged that the Public Procurement Regulatory Authority was being made dysfunctional by not appointing a managing director since October.

'The Sindh government issued a notification in June exempting the Sindh Bank from application of the Public Procurement Rules of 2010,' Mr Gilanisaid. The TIP filed a petition in the SHC and on Dec 15, the chief justice disposed of it because the chief secretary had cancelled the notification.

The federal government also issued a notification in July, with the approval of the Economic Coordination Committee, amending Rule 5 of the PPRA Rules.

'This would amount to exempting contracts based on 39 MoUs signed by the president and prime minister with foreign private parties from complying with the Public Procurement Rules of 2004 and competitive bidding.' The exempted matters include tenders for 150 railway engines from the US and 75 from China, purchase of PIA aircraft, the 7,000MW Binji Dam and 1,100MW from Kohala Dam. The TIP has filed a petition against the amendment.

Police's ranking slipped to two from number one and land administration topped the list of most corrupt institutions or systems. The land administration system was ranked 7th in 2002 and the perception about it had deteriorated gradually because public-office holders were involved in land-grabbing incidents in an organised way, a speaker alleged.

Replying to a question, Mr Gilani said it was public perception that others were more corrupt than the armed forces.

The power sector, which had ranked second since 2002, got down to fifth, while health remained at eighth position, the report said.