Corruption Devours Pakistan’s Soul

Corruption is not a technical flaw—it is a moral failure. It’s not just stealing money—it’s stealing dignity, justice, and opportunity.

For Pakistan to progress, especially provinces like Sindh, we need more than slogans and token arrests

By Abdullah Usman Morai | Sweden

Corruption is not just about money changing hands—it is about stolen futures, broken systems, and normalized injustice. In Pakistan, particularly in Sindh, corruption has become an invisible tax on the poor, a privilege for the elite, and a betrayal of the nation’s values. From the corridors of power to the counters of local government offices, corruption festers as a societal norm rather than an anomaly. But is it a cultural curse, a governance failure, or a collective moral collapse? This article explores the multidimensional nature of corruption, its causes and consequences, and whether there’s any realistic hope for reform.

Defining Corruption in Pakistan’s Context

In academic terms, corruption is the abuse of entrusted power for personal or political gain. But in Pakistan, this concept takes many forms:

• Petty corruption: Bribes for basic services like driving licenses or FIR registrations.
• Grand corruption: Embezzlement of public funds, fake tenders, and political kickbacks.
• Institutional corruption: Politicization of police, courts, universities, and development projects.
• Moral corruption: Normalizing dishonesty, justifying it as “necessary for survival.”

From rural Tharparkar to urban Karachi, people have come to expect delays, bribes, and favoritism in routine matters. This normalization is perhaps the most dangerous dimension of all.

What Causes Corruption? Structural, Social, and Cultural Roots

1. Weak Governance and Impunity

Pakistan’s institutions often lack independence and power. Accountability bodies are seen as selective in their pursuits. Laws exist, but enforcement is erratic and politically influenced.

2. Poverty and Desperation

In a society where jobs are scarce and inflation is rampant, many justify corruption as a means of survival. A junior clerk may take a bribe to feed his family, but this micro-level justification creates a macro-level crisis.

3. Feudal and Tribal Patronage

In Sindh, feudal structures reinforce corruption. Votes are bought, jobs are sold, and loyalty is rewarded through illegal favors. This deepens inequality and disconnects power from public service.

4. Cultural Acceptance

Phrases like “sab chalta hai” or “chor to sab hain” reflect a national cynicism. When the majority sees corruption as inevitable, resistance declines and complicity grows.

The Impact: What Corruption Steals From Us

1. Economic Damage

Pakistan loses billions annually in leaked tax revenue, ghost employees, and rigged procurement processes. Investment suffers. Small businesses close due to extortion and red tape. For example, in Karachi, bhatta (extortion) is a silent tax imposed on vendors and traders.

2. Public Services in Crisis

• In rural Sindh, ghost schools exist on paper, but students sit under trees.
• Sewerage lines overflow while development funds “vanish.”
• In government hospitals, essential medicines are missing, while doctors run private clinics using stolen equipment.

3. Loss of Public Trust

When citizens lose faith in courts, police, and bureaucracies, they turn to informal justice, violence, or disengagement. Voter turnout drops. Civic spirit fades.

4. Youth Disillusionment

Young people see degrees ignored while political connections secure jobs. They witness exams leaked, bribes for admissions, and corruption glorified in the media. This turns idealism into apathy—or even crime.

Political Corruption: The Engine of Injustice

Political corruption is the nucleus around which all other forms of corruption orbit.

• Election rigging, vote-buying, and fake promises are routine.
• Development funds are used to build personal networks, not public infrastructure.
• Appointments in police, education, and revenue departments are sold to the highest bidder or loyalist.

Consider the case of the Public Service Commission, once caught in a scandal involving leaked question papers and favoritism in selection. The cost? A generation of deserving youth lost out.

Meanwhile, opposition politicians use corruption as a slogan until they come into power, and the cycle repeats.

Education and Health: The Biggest Victims

Both these sectors suffer due to a toxic blend of corruption and negligence.

Education:

• Teachers are appointed through bribes or nepotism.
• Many are absent but still drawing salaries.
• Textbooks are sold in black markets or never distributed.

Health:

• In Tharparkar, malnourished children die while budgeted nutrition packets remain unaccounted for.
• Hospitals in Sukkur and Mirpurkhas lack basic medicines, while procurement contracts enrich officials.

When education and health fail, a nation fails.

Is Corruption a Cultural Problem?

Many argue that Pakistanis are not inherently corrupt—they’re pushed by necessity and a broken system. However, over the decades, corruption has gained moral cover:

• “Everyone is doing it.”
• “You can’t survive without it.”
• “Why should I suffer when others get away?”

This rationalization perpetuates the problem. Ethics fade. Honesty becomes a liability.

Role of Media and Social Media: Watchdog or Accomplice?

Traditional media has exposed many scams, but it’s also complicit through paid content, partisan loyalties, and censorship. In some cases, major corruption scandals have been underreported due to ownership interests or political pressure.

However, social media has become a grassroots force. In 2023, a viral video from Umerkot showed a corrupt Patwari demanding bribes—public backlash led to action. Yet, this digital exposure needs to be matched with an institutional response, or it merely becomes a spectacle.

The Global Lens: What Can Pakistan Learn?

Countries like Singapore, Rwanda, and Denmark have successfully curbed corruption by:

• Making political leadership accountable.
• Establishing independent anti-corruption bodies.
• Using e-governance and transparency portals.
• Implementing zero-tolerance policies at every level.

In Rwanda, even a local government clerk can lose their job for demanding a minor bribe. In Singapore, ministers must declare their assets annually and face tough scrutiny. Pakistan can and must learn from these models.

Can Technology Fight Corruption?

Yes—but only with political will.

• E-procurement portals reduce human interference and favoritism.
• Biometric attendance systems in Sindh’s schools and hospitals have exposed thousands of ghost employees.
• Online complaint mechanisms can empower citizens, but only if complaints are acted upon.

AI and blockchain can offer tamper-proof records for tenders, contracts, and transactions. But without robust oversight, even technology can be manipulated.

Solutions: What Must Be Done

1. Reform Institutions

o             Make NAB, FIA, and anti-corruption units truly independent.

o             Ensure transparency in appointments and promotions.

2. Protect Whistleblowers

o             Pass and enforce whistleblower protection laws.

o             Offer rewards for exposing large-scale fraud.

3. Empower Citizens

o             Civic education must start early.

o             Encourage RTI (Right to Information) activism.

4. Engage Religious and Cultural Leaders

o             Use mosques, shrines, and community spaces to promote honesty and ethical conduct.

5. Enforce Digital Governance

o             Introduce e-tendering, digital budget tracking, and grievance redressal apps.

6. Punish the Powerful

o             Set a precedent by convicting and recovering funds from high-profile offenders.

A Time for Moral Reckoning

Corruption is not a technical flaw—it is a moral failure. It’s not just stealing money—it’s stealing dignity, justice, and opportunity. For Pakistan to progress, especially provinces like Sindh, we need more than slogans and token arrests. We need a revolution of values, accountability, and collective courage.

It starts with you—refusing to pay a bribe, demanding your right, and speaking out when it’s easier to stay silent. It continues with teachers, officers, politicians, journalists, and businesspeople choosing integrity over convenience.

The war against corruption may not be won in a year. But every act of honesty, every stand for justice, is a battle won. Pakistan must decide: Will we be a nation that just survives through shortcuts and exploitation? Or one that rises through justice, merit, and moral strength?

The answer begins today.

Read: Holy Words, Hollow Deeds

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Abdullah Soomro, penname Abdullah Usman Morai, hailing from Moro town of Sindh, province of Pakistan, is based in Stockholm Sweden. Currently he is working as Groundwater Engineer in Stockholm Sweden. He did BE (Agriculture) from Sindh Agriculture University Tando Jam and MSc water systems technology from KTH Stockholm Sweden as well as MSc Management from Stockholm University. Beside this he also did masters in journalism and economics from Shah Abdul Latif University Khairpur Mirs, Sindh. He is author of a travelogue book named ‘Musafatoon’. His second book is in process. He writes articles from time to