Opposition leaders slam PTI government, Imran Khan over Pakistan's low ranking on corruption index

• Imran Khan's lies have been exposed, says PPP Senator Sherry Rehman shortly after release of Transparency International report on corruption
• Pakistan ranked 124 out of 180 countries on the Corruption Perceptions Index 2020
• Shazia Atta Marri of the PPP Parliamentarians says PM has lost right to stay in power after TI report

Opposition leaders were quick to criticise the PTI-led government shortly after it was revealed that Pakistan's ranking on a global corruption index fell four places.

Corruption in Pakistan is perceived to have increased compared to last year as the country now ranks 124 out of 180 countries on a global corruption perceptions list prepared by the Transparency International (TI), an international non-governmental organisation based in Berlin.

Pakistan lost four positions in 2020 compared to 2019 and seven positions compared to 2018. In 2019, Pakistan ranked 120th on the global corruption list and 117 in 2018.

Imran Khan's claims to end corruption based on lies: Sherry Rehman

PPP Senator Sherry Rehman said Prime Minister Imran Khan's claims to end corruption were based on lies.

Read more: Pakistan slides in Transparency International's corruption perception rankings

She said corruption is on the rise during this government's tenure and that Pakistan losing a few places on the global corruption index is a question mark on the PTI government's performance.

Pakistan has dropped down seven places on the list since this government came to power, she said, adding that the world is now watching the story of the government's wrath of corruption.

"The focus is on NAB and the government's political opponents, not corruption," Rehman said.

Imran Khan has no moral right to stay in power: Shazia Marri

PPP Parliamentarians Secretary Information Shazia Atta Marri said that in the past, PM Khan used to wave transparency reports and ask governments to go home. 

Read more: Pakistan sees slight improvement in global corruption index

Until 2018, Imran Khan never got tired of wailing over the Transparency International reports, she said, adding that PM Khan has lost the moral legitimacy to stay in power after today's report.

"How many references did the NAB make on the corruption of the federal government that has been going on for the last two-and-a-half years?" she asked.

TI used old data, says government

Meanwhile, Special Assistant to Prime Minister of Pakistan on Political Communication Dr Shahbaz Gill defended the government after Pakistan's ranking was revealed on the global corruption list.

He said TI has again exposed Pakistan's leaders and their corruption. The prime minister's aide said if one were to take the data sources out, he.she will find outdated data has been used to calculate Pakistan's rating.

He gave an example of the World Bank data cited in by TI which has been published in 2017. He said this means the data for a 2017 publication must have been collected before 2017. He showed another data source from 2018.

He said this corruption perception report, thus, is from the last tenure of the Pakistan Muslim League -Nawaz government.

You can listen to Gill's full statement here.