By: Shakeel Anjum. This article was originally published by the Associated Press Service.

While talking at the launch of Idol Integrity organized by Accountability Lab with the collaboration of National Press Club in Islamabad,  Muhammad Talal Ch of the Pakistan Muslim League said that the Cyber Crime Bill 2016 will not affect electronic and print media rather this law will deal only with cyber crimes. The basic issue of governance in Pakistan is human resource allocation, and legislation is essential to curb corruption by collective responsibilities of all political parties. The identification, promotion and awarding to honest government servants under Integrity Idol is an appreciated initiative of Accountability Lab.

He gave appreciation for the Integrity Idol program of civil society organization Accountability Lab, and said the pay-scale, pension and promotion criteria for government servants can decrease the level of corruption in Pakistan.

He said the lacking element of governance in Pakistan is violation of merits and mismanagement of human resources – for better governance the rationale must be based on finding the “right man for right job”.

He said that absolute authority led to corruption and it was the collective responsibility of all political parties to promulgate a comprehensive law against all types of financial corruption.

Fayyaz Yaseen the moderator of Integrity Idol, introduced the citizens of Pakistan to this global campaign that advocates and appreciates truthful and honest government officials and enables the public to vote for their favorite candidate. Integrity Idol is a contest not for the best singer or artist but for the most honest civil servant in Pakistan. The best part of this campaign is that it allows the common people to choose a leader for themselves, hence create a better and friendly environment. Integrity Idol is being introduced for the first time in Pakistan by Accountability Lab in collaboration with Loug Trust.

Muhammad Musaddiq Abbasi, Chairman of the Board of Directors for the Accountability Lab Pakistan pointed out: “The value of Integrity Idol is the process, not the outcome. It is about creating conversations about what it means to be a person of integrity; and why this matters. After the competition we will be creating a network of local government officials who work for accountability across Pakistan- and using this network as the basis for larger reform efforts”. He further added that “Integrity Idol provides an outlet for a national conversation in positive terms about the change we’d like to see and the people we would like to be working in government on our behalf”.

Senior Journalist and President National Press Club, Shakeel Anjum blasted on government and said this is the worst government in history on violation of merit, and that the Lahori group of bureaucrats is running the government show. He appreciated the efforts of Integrity Idol and said that “the concept of the campaign is unique and innovative. Combining the voices from media and civil society will not only help to address the issue of corruption but will also encourage government officials to be inspired and strive a positive change in the society”.

“As a civil society activist, I support the campaign that encourages citizens to build a movement that helps them question their own role in the system and encourage greater accountability” said Shafqat Muneer, Director Resilient Development Programme, SDPI.

The event was attended by journalists from various print and electronic media outlets, bloggers, civil society representatives, government officials and parliamentarians.

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