Arya News - A 2025 survey by Transparency International Pakistan found that 77% of people are dissatisfied with anti-corruption efforts and cite lack of accountability and transparency.
ISLAMABAD – An annual survey released by Transparency International Pakistan (TIP) on Tuesday showed that the police is perceived as the most corrupt government sector in Pakistan, followed by the tender and procurement sector, and then the judiciary.
According to a press release issued by TIP, the National Corruption Perception Survey aims to gauge the perception of the public on important governance issues.
This year’s survey showed that 24 per cent of 4,000 people (1,000 from each province) surveyed believed police to be the most corrupt sector, with the highest level of perception of corruption in Punjab at 34pc, followed by 22pc in Balochistan, 21pc in Sindh, and 20pc in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
The department has consistently ranked the most corrupt in previous surveys conducted by TIP.
However, the findings of the latest survey noted that there was, at the same time, a “notable” improvement in public perception of the police, compared to 2023.
Closely followed by police was the tender and procurement sector with 16pc of the respondents perceiving it as a corrupt sector. The highest level perception of corruption was among the respondents in Balochistan at 23pc, followed by 18pc in KP, 14pc in Sindh and 9pc in Punjab.
The judiciary was perceived to be third-most corrupt sector by 14pc of the respondents, with the highest level in KP at 18pc.
Bribery encounters
According to the press release, a majority of the citizens, around 66pc, said they did not feel compelled to bribe a public sector official in 2025.
However, the survey also showed that around 77pc of the respondents expressed “low satisfaction” with the government’s anti-corruption efforts.
The highest number of bribes in connection with access to public services was recorded in Sindh, with 46pc of the respondents feeling forced to offer a bribe. The numbers stood at 39pc in Punjab and 20pc in KP.
Further, 59pc of the respondents believed the provincial governments were more corrupt compared to local governments.
“This view is shared in Punjab by (70pc), Balochistan (58pc), Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (55pc) and Sindh (54pc),” the report said.
‘Lack of accountability’ major cause for corruption
The findings also showed that a lack of accountability, transparency and limited access to information, and delays in disposing of corruption cases were “major causes” for corruption in the country.
“An overwhelming 78pc of respondents nationwide believe that there should be accountability of anti-corruption bodies such as the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) and Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), reflecting a strong public desire for greater oversight and integrity within these institutions,” the press release said.
Respondents cited the following as the top reasons for demanding accountability mechanisms: a lack of transparency in investigations by anti-corruption bodies (35pc), absence of independent oversight of anti-corruption bodies (33pc), and misuse of anti-corruption bodies’ powers for political victimisation (32pc).
The survey outlined three key measures suggested by respondents to curb corruption within the country. At least 26pc of the respondents believed that enhancing accountability was the way forward, while another 23pc advocated for “limiting discretionary powers” and another 20pc for “strengthening right to information laws”.
Around 33pc of the respondents also believed that provincial Anti-Corruption Establishments (ACEs) “were ‘not effective’ in combating corruption at the provincial level,” mostly in Sindh and Punjab, while another 34pc termed it “less effective,” particularly in KP and Balochistan.
The report further added that around 77pc of respondents “are not satisfied with the government’s efforts ot combat corruption,” with 80pc in Balochistan, 78pc in Punjab, and 75pc each in KP and Sindh.
Almost half of the respondents (42pc) shared that “they would feel safe reporting corruption if strong whistleblower protection laws were in place,” while 70pc of them were unaware of corruption reporting mechanisms.
“Among the respondents who are aware [of] corruption reporting channels (30pc), only 43pc have ever reported corruption or unethical practice,” the press release said.
“The findings are consistent across all provinces; Balochistan (76pc), KP (73pc), Sindh (68pc) and Punjab (64pc) respondents feel they are unaware about corruption reporting channels,” it added.
The respondents also believed that the “two key factors motivating citizens to report corruption are anonymity mechanisms in the reporting channels (38pc) and rewards for reporting corruption (37pc).”
Corruption within health sector
The survey also highlighted corruption in the health sector, where a majority of people (67pc) were of the view that corrupt and unethical practices had a “high impact on people’s lives”.
The survey showed that the perception was highest in Sindh at 69pc, followed closely by KP in 68pc, Balochistan at 67pc, and Punjab at 63 pc.
The respondents identified hospitals, doctors and pharmaceuticals as the “main sites of corruption” in the sector.
They also called for “stricter policies against pharmaceutical companies’ commission to doctors”, and “ban on private practice” as effective measures against corruption in the sector.
The respondents also called for stronger regulatory mechanisms in the health sector.
As per the survey, 51pc of the respondents also believed that “NGOs, hospitals, trusts, medical testing laboratories, educational institutions and other charitable organisations receiving tax exemptions from the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) should not charge any fees from the public.”
“Majority of respondents nationally (53pc) believe that tax-exempted charitable institutions should publicly disclose the names of their donors and donation amounts on their website,” the statement said.