By: Sidra Akhlaq
Corruption, defined as the misuse of entrusted power for private benefit, is unfortunately endemic in Pakistan. Even the public sector
is not immune from this. Its spread is enormous. It has reached every organ of the state beyond the executive, it has put its claws on
the judiciary and legislature even. It would be no exaggeration to say that the whole body of the state of Pakistan is suffering from this
malaise and wailing under its weight.Corruption manifests itself in various forms in Pakistan, including widespread financial and
political corruption, nepotism, and misuse of power. Both petty and grand corruptions are prevalent in the country. Corruption clouds
almost all tiers of government; it is all pervasive and deeply entrenched. “The level of corruption in the society ultimately depends on
the values and morals of that society” (Vittal and Mahalingam, 2004:237). Over the period, acceptability of corruption has rather
increased in society, and there is little evidence that people feel guilty about their own role in corruption. The scale of corruption is
highest in development projects and procurement (including defence and public sector corporations) and bank loan write-offs.
Whereas mega corruption is mainly in development projects, bank loans, and procurements, which rock the foundation of the
economy, the common man is more interested in the petty and middle-level corruption that he encounters in the daily dealings in the
government offices. The roots of corruption in Pakistan date back to the colonial period, when the Britishers rewarded lands and titles
to those who were their loyalists, leading to nepotism and corruption.
Two major crises played a fundamental role in the genesis of corruption in this part of the world; the spiral in the defence-related
purchases during and after World War II and allotment of evacuee property after the partition of the Indian subcontinent (UNDP,
2002:11). This was followed by industrial and trade licensing and patronage schemes like bonus vouchers and route permits in the
1950s and 1960s. The nationalisation policy of the 1970s created new opportunities for corruption and gave birth to a new breed of
corrupt government officers. The decade of the 1980s witnessed the surge of corruption in religious and business circles. Pakistan has
suffered from pervasive corruption since its foundation. It deals with an unstable political atmosphere and unsustainable economic
development due to its fragile institutional setting. The predominance of military power that does not hesitate to overrule any
government when it faces a potential threat to its economic-profit channels plays an important role in institutional fragility. Moreover,
incompetent civilian rules and the British heritage comprise a vicious cycle that is hard to break. An anaemic institutional
environment struggles within an embedded cultural structure exacerbated by corruption. Pakistan is generally included in most
discussions of ‘failing states’ that pose the maximum danger to global security, with the rise of Islamic militancy being the most
commonly cited reason for the ‘failure’. However, Islamic militancy is a result of impending state failure, not a cause of it. This
article argues that the state’s inability, caused by decades of systemic corruption, to provide any appreciable level of publicly defined
public goods or services is responsible for the delegitimisation of the state and its inability to maintain law and order in the cities or
suppress Islamist insurgents in the rest of the country. According to the Transparency International corruption perception index, there
are three types of corruption, for instance: grand corruption, medium corruption, and piety corruption. In grand corruption,
government officials are directly or indirectly convoluted in it. In medium corruption, government and private institutions use their
links for personal incentives, while in piety corruption, individuals are involved to use their power for personal benefits. This study
deals with grand corruption, where government is directly or indirectly convoluted in it. The history of Pakistan is associated with the
misuse of public powers for individual interests. In Pakistan, approximately all public sectors are involved in misappropriation for
personal benefits. The effect of corruption is multiple, and its root became deep in the social, cultural, political, and economic history
of Pakistan. It spread like a viral disease not only in the public sector but in the private sector. The judiciary institutions of Pakistan
are also not saved from this social sickness. Now, it became a social behaviour in any institution to take bribes.
Corruption in Pakistan, defined as the misuse of entrusted power for personal gain, is pervasive across all sectors of government and
society. This entrenched issue has historical roots, tracing back to colonial practices that fostered nepotism and favoritism. Over time,
corruption has evolved, manifesting in both grand and petty forms, with significant implications for the nation’s governance and
development. Key drivers include the aftermath of significant crises like the partition and defence procurement during World War II,
