KARACHI
Ending interest-based transactions, adopting the Islamic mode of economy, and restoring proper collection of Zakat and other taxes under it, would help in poverty alleviation in Pakistan, said ‘Voice Against Corruption’ President Ahsan Bari Advocate.
In a statement here Monday, he said if we manage to properly collect Zakar, Ushar and other taxes as per Islamic teachings, we can end poverty from the country and provide ample job opportunities for our young people.
He said the interest-based banking is the mother of all evils and we as an Islamic ideological state should ditch the interest-based economy for good.
He said people do not trust the government-run Zakat collection system; that is why people withdraw money from their bank accounts before the Zakat deduction deadline. He said we should introduce more transparency in collection and spending of Zakat to restore the confidence of public in government mechanisms.
He said the graph of corruption in Pakistan is on the rise, because we have not adopted anti-corrupt practices as a state policy. He demanded for introducing more transparency into the affairs of the government departments through a better use of information technology.
He said corrupt contractor system is the mother of corruption in Pakistan and appointment of retired employees and other favorites as consultants in government offices is nothing but a shameless act corruption. He said another form of corruption in government is to give huge fees of millions of rupees to some particular lawyers despite availability of law officers in the government law departments.
He said officers and even clerical staff of some corrupt government departments own properties of billions of rupees. They run expensive cars and their children are enrolled in very expensive local and foreign schools.
These employees and their families are treated in very expensive hospitals and they travel by air locally and aboard. He said if our investigative and anti-corruption agencies focus on property ownership, air travel record, costly school enrollment and hospital admission and selling and purchase of expensive cars, hundreds of very corrupt government officials could be easily exposed.
He said all forms and shapes of corruption should be dealt with strictly to make Pakistan a corruption-free society.
