KARACHI: A significant reduction in corruption has been observed each time the Pakistan Muslim League – Nawaz (PML-N) formed a government in Pakistan, according to statistics released by Transparency International.
A recent report, based on statistics collected from the World Bank, African Development Bank, and International Economic Forum, rated 180 countries on a scale of one to 100 — the latter being the highest score.
According to the Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) 2017, Pakistan’s CPI score remained 32 out of 100 - the same score the country received in 2016.
Pakistan fared better than its neighbour Bangladesh, with the latter receiving28 points on the index. India and China, however, were ranked higher with the scores 40 and 41 respectively.
The statistics issued by Transparency International disclose that in 1996, Pakistan stood on the 71st rank among 85 countries. After the PML-N formed the government in 1996 a notable increase in the corruption index was observed. Within a span of two years, the index increased by a point to reach 2.7.
The country’s rating hit its record low (2.1) in 2004 and 2005. It increased to 2.5 in 2008, dwindled to 2.4 and 2.3 in 2009 and 2010 respectively but swung back to 2.5 in 2011 through to 2012.
In the years 2013, 2014, and 2015, Pakistan's score on the corruption index was 28, 29, and 30 respectively.