ACCOUNTABILITY IN PAKISTAN: AN ACADEMIC PERSPECTIVE

Abstract

The word ‘accountability’ has been one of the most popular political slogans in Pakistan. Though only a political slogan, the phrases like, ‘accountability for all’, ‘across-the-board accountability’ and ‘Pakistan has no future until the menace of corruption is seriously tackled’, are essentially a significant part of the narrative on accountability. Pakistan is ranked 120th out of 180 countries according to the Corruption Perception Index-2019 (Transparency International Ranking). It is virtually locked in a vicious cycle of relatively high and widespread corruption. The word ‘accountability’ is a buzzword in routine discourses of all segments of society. Rooting out corruption from the society is, indeed, a daunting task. In the broader sense, it entails educating and training every citizen and institution to develop consciousness of being accountable for the outcome of an assigned role. Pakistan has not yet been able to develop and implement a holistic accountability regime despite establishing various anti-corruption institutions. This article argues that corruption in Pakistan is systemic, wherein, the existing accountability system is badly entangled in dealing with financial corruption only. There is a dire need to revisit current accountability laws to curb the menace of corruption effectively. The scope and meaning of `accountability' cannot be confined to financial corruption only. It is critical to clearly understand the theoretical concepts of corruption and the core sense of accountability, especially by the stakeholders. Whistleblowing is a valuable source of information to fight systemic corruption and the implementation of effective policies to protect whistle-blowers is essential. The purpose of the article is to give an academic perspective of accountability, with a view to suggesting a way forward to implement a system of accountability in its true sense that 'every individual and organization is fully accountable to a legislative forum for all of its/their actions and performances'. This sense of accountability needs to be woven in the accountability discourse for its broader application in the social, moral, professional, legal, political, and administrative domains of Pakistani society.