Islamabad, Feb 11 Pakistan presents an interesting scenario, where whistleblower protections are inadequate, weak and only symbolic, thus showcasing longstanding failures in political accountability, contractual implementation and regulatory independence, a report has stated.
According to the 2024 Corruption Perceptions Index, Pakistan is ranked at the 135th spot among 180 nations, placed amongst the world’s most corruption-vulnerable states.
An opinion piece in The News International highlighted that transparency and accountability are important for any civilised and functioning society. These are not merely slogans made during political speeches, it stated, but concrete pillars that fosters trust between the state and its people. Thus, a culture of whistleblowing is essential for upholding transparency and accountability and the absence of these fundamentals will spread corruption and facilitate the culture that rewards silence and punishes truth-telling.
"Pakistan has a structurally inadequate whistleblower protection framework. While the Whistleblower Protection and Vigilance Commission Act 2019 exists, it lacks enforcement and operational power. Without guaranteed anonymity, a proper enforcement mechanism, and protection from retaliation, there can be no progress. This can be addressed by aligning the current legal framework for whistleblowers with the United Nations Convention against Corruption (UNCAC)," Sakib Berjees, political economist and public policy commentator, wrote in The News International.
While anti-corruption laws do exist in Pakistan, the government lacks the courage to implement them.
"Pakistan is at a crossroads, where decades of ineffective accountability have weakened institutions, eroded public trust, and driven both talent and capital flight. Pakistani professionals are not leaving because they have cast off Pakistan, but are leaving because Pakistan has rejected merit. Whistleblower protection is not an answer to the problems we are facing as a nation, but it is the substance upon which all serious reform rests," wrote Berjees.
"Nations that commit to institutionalising accountability attract investment, talent and command legitimacy. Those who reject these notions and continue to live in a state of denial may survive temporarily, but ultimately cannot endure and will face the consequences. If we protect our whistleblowers, then we will protect our future, but if we punish them, then surely, we will disqualify ourselves from modernity," he further mentioned in The News International.
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