TI report doesn't imply corruption increase in 2019, watchdog head issues clarification

ISLAMABAD: Amid the opposition’s severe criticism of the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) in the wake of Transparency International’s report on Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) 2019, the global anti-corruption watchdog on Sunday clarified the report doesn’t imply that corruption increased in Pakistan in the year 2019.

The report had ranked Pakistan 117 out of 180 countries on the CPI 2019 as the country slipped three spots from the previous year’s place.

Head of the watchdog’s Pakistan chapter Sohail Muzaffar said the CPI 2019 doesn’t reflect corruption increased in Pakistan in 2019.

He said the report is based mainly on data collected in the previous PML-N term from 2017 onwards.

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Muzaffar said at least eight sources were utilised for compiling the report, adding Pakistan’s falling one point below the 2018 score doesn’t point to increase or decrease in corruption in the year 2019.

“Out of 8 sources used in Pakistan CPI, data of 2016/17 is used by Bertelsmann Stiftung’s Transformation Index (BTI)…

Reality is that Bertelsmann Stiftung’s Transformation Index 2020 data is not made public, and will be declared in 2020, and only provided to TI for CPI purpose, media report has quoted Data of CPI 2018, ” he exlpained.

“A number of politicians, TV channels and newspapers have misreported the CPI Report, and given false figures trying to damage the reputation of Pakistan,” he said, lauding the incumbent government’s steps to cleanse the Augean stables.

Sohail Muzaffar also lauded the National Accountability Bureau’s (NAB) efforts to rein in white-collar crime.

Read More: Info adviser rejects TI report after showing serious concerns

Earlier, on Jan 24, Special Assistant to Prime Minister (SAPM) on Information Firdous Ashiq Awan had rejected as biased and planted the IT report on Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) 2019.

Addressing the media, she said the TI report has sparked a debate everywhere, adding the latest corruption index has raised questions over the transparency of the organisation. She demanded exposure of the suspicious criteria for TI’s listing of countries in its corruption index.