By Shazia Anwer Cheema
It is widely accepted that corruption in politics can damage a country’s economic development. However, recent research has suggested that incompetence in governance can be more harmful than financial corruption. Furthermore, moral corruption, in which people of low morality reach the top of power, can be even more dangerous as it can corrupt the entire country.
Pakistan has politicians like Imran Khan, who instead of feeling ashamed for their phone-sex audio leaks, blame whistleblowers for leaking the audio
In Pakistan, the diction of “corruption” and “corrupt” has been largely used for regime changes by judicial, civil, and military bureaucracies in the last 70 years. Former prime ministers like Benazir Bhutto and Mian Nawaz Sharif have been thrown out of power several times under the same narrative. However, several studies in the last 30 years indicate that incompetency in governance is a greater threat to a country than financial corruption.
According to a story on APTV dated August 13, 1997, a US court ruled that cricket star Imran Khan is the father of a five-year child
Administrative corruption, which is a kind of incompetency in governance, is not talked about as much as financial corruption. Moral corruption, where people of low morality reach the top of power, is even more dangerous. Pakistan has politicians like Imran Khan, who instead of feeling ashamed for their phone-sex audio leaks, blame whistleblowers for leaking the audio. The same is the case when audio leaks expose the elite class’s hatred for democracy and their deep-rooted love of martial law.
Having an undeclared daughter and losing a case in a US court, Imran Khan teaches morality to everybody and claims that the former military leadership of Pakistan had no morality. According to a story on APTV dated August 13, 1997, a US court ruled that cricket star Imran Khan is the father of a five-year child. The ruling came from a Los Angeles court after ex-girlfriend Sita White filed a lawsuit claiming Khan’s paternity over her daughter Tyrian-Jade. White demanded Khan should apologize to the Pakistani people for misleading them during the election campaign that he had no children before he married Jemima Goldsmith. Now the same case is in a Pakistani court but Imran Khan is successfully avoiding court appearances and his legal team petitioned the court, requesting the suspension of the arrest warrant for him and seeking more time to appear before for a pre-trial hearing.
Imran Khan is raising a nation of youth that is openly calling for the killing of enemies while standing with him in his residence, and he is lauding such children
In Pakistan, only financial irregularities are considered corruption, and moral corruption is not addressed as much. Followers of Imran Khan’s party are placing him in the line of prophets, and he appreciates this culture. Religious morality is strongly targeted by him, but nobody from society is responding. A very famous religious leader who is a personal friend of Imran Khan is praying for his success. He is raising a nation of youth that is openly calling for the killing of enemies while standing with him in his residence, and he is lauding such children. Social morality is lacking in Pakistan.
In Pakistan, the connotation and denotation of corruption have been narrowed down to only financial corruption. A criminal wanted by police can hide at the residence of a top judicial officer, but this kind of activity is not considered corruption in Pakistan. A son of former Chief Justice Saqib Nisar, who granted the certification of “sadiq and ameen” (truthful and honest) to Imran Khan in the 2017 verdict, could allegedly be found involved in selling PTI party tickets for elections in Punjab, but nobody is raising the question of morality.
It is unfortunate that only financial irregularities are called corruption in third-world countries, particularly in Pakistan. Academically, it is confirmed that moral corruption is more dangerous than financial corruption because financial corruption can be terminated, but the moral corruption of the leader trickles down effects that are non-reversible.
The same is the case when audio leaks expose the elite class’s hatred for democracy and their deep-rooted love of Martial law. In a recently appeared alleged audio leak, the mother-in-law of the sitting Chief Justice of Pakistan is cursing the military of Pakistan for not imposing Martial Law in the country. This abatement act of demanding Martial Law is unchecked in Pakistan although imposing or abating martial Law comes under Article 6 of the 1973 Constitution having the death penalty.
The research titled “Corruption, Regime Type, and Economic Growth” conducted by Ilan Alon (University of Agder, Norway), Shaomin Li (Old Dominion University, USA), and Jun Wu (Savannah State University, USA) indicates that the notion that financial corruption hurts economic development is widely accepted but without any scientifically proven data. Identifying that both financial corruption and economic performance are closely linked, scholars of political economy are examining the relationships among corruption, economic performance, and the political system in an attempt to find out different conditions under which financial corruption may impact the economy.
In conclusion, while corruption in politics can damage a country’s economic development, incompetence in governance and moral corruption can be even more dangerous. In Pakistan, only financial irregularities are considered corruption, and moral corruption is not addressed as much. It is essential to acknowledge that moral corruption can corrupt an entire country and that financial corruption is just one part of the problem. It is important to examine the relationships between corruption, economic performance, and the political system to find different conditions under which financial corruption may impact the economy. Countries must address moral corruption and incompetency in governance to prevent further harm.
Note: Writer Shazia Anwer Cheema is an author, columnist, and foreign affairs expert who writes for national and international media. She is a doctoral student and researcher in semiotics and philosophy of communication at Charles University in Prague. She can be reached at her: Twitter @ShaziaAnwerCh Email: shaziaanwer@yahoo.com
Disclaimer:
The views and opinions expressed in this article/Opinion/Comment are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the DND Thought Center and Dispatch News Desk (DND). Assumptions made within the analysis are not reflective of the position of the DND Thought Center and Dispatch News Desk News Agency.
