Gilani orders enquiry into Pakistan's poor show in international corruption Index

Islamabad, Nov.18 (ANI): Concerned over the Transparency International's (TI) latest report in which Pakistan ranked 42nd in the global list of most corrupt countries, Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani has ordered an enquiry into the country's poor show in the international corruption index.

Gilani has formed a committee led by Finance Minister Shaukat Tarin to look into the causes of wide spread corruption in the country.

The Prime Minister has ordered review of all the governance issues raised in the media and those in the TI's report in consultation with Syed Adil Gilani, TI's Pakistan head, The News reports.

The TI's report said Pakistan has gained few positions from last year and now stands at 42nd place in the list of most corrupt countries in which Somalia, Afghanistan are seen as the most corrupt among 180 nations.

New Zealand and Denmark are the two least corrupt countries in the world.

New Zealand was the top-ranked country with a score of 9.4, followed by Denmark at 9.3, and Singapore and Sweden, both on 9.2, the report said.

Countries that improved their position on the list included the United States, whose points rose to 7.5 from 7.3.

TI cited Washington's swift response to the financial crisis, including reforms demanding greater transparency and accountability as one of the prime reasons of such a change. (ANI)