Business leader and former President of the Islamabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ICCI), Dr Shahid Rasheed Butt, said on Sunday that it is regrettable that there is no action against the profiteering mafia that is continuously robbing the public.
He said corrupt industrialists and traders are robbing the public, against whom action should be taken, and relief should be given.
Shahid Rashid Butt said in a statement issued here that the government’s focus is on economic development, but attention is not being paid to eliminating corruption. He said that recently, an international organization published a report indicating increased corruption in Pakistan.
The business leader said that along with economic development, action should be taken against profiteering industrialists, especially those involved in sugar, steel, building materials, ghee, and cooking oil businesses.
He added that government institutions should eradicate corruption to provide relief to the public and enable sustainable development.
Shahid Rasheed Butt said that corruption has brought the country to the brink of disaster, against which strict measures are necessary. Transparency International’s report on the rise in corruption in Pakistan is concerning and warrants attention.
He said that corruption is widespread in most developing countries and has engulfed all levels of government. Government officials are deliberately involved in economic mismanagement for personal gains.
Although very strict laws have been made against corruption in many countries and many other institutions have been established to implement them, corruption continues despite all this.
The scope of corruption in many countries has become so wide that people are forced to understand that there is no point in raising their voices or launching a movement against it because corruption has spread to the highest levels.
An economic, administrative, social, and political structure has emerged in Pakistan, which has resulted in selfishness, personal gain, bribery, show-offs, lawlessness, red tape operations, nepotism, the growth of tax evasion, laziness, work theft, improper and substandard use of government resources, extensive bureaucratic powers, and a huge increase in unproductive government expenditure.
He noted that corruption is a disease that hollows out society from within and increases poverty. According to the World Bank, the poverty rate in Pakistan has reached 51%, and 100 million people are trapped in the middle of poverty; their number is increasing. Corruption has permeated society, making the rich richer and the poor poorer; therefore, a rapid increase in corruption in recent years must be controlled.
