A bombshell report from Islamabad reveals Pakistan’s whistleblower protection system as fundamentally flawed – weak, ineffective, and more performative than protective. This structural deficiency highlights chronic shortcomings in governance, from political oversight to regulatory autonomy.
The 2024 Corruption Perceptions Index places Pakistan at 135 out of 180 nations, a stark indicator of pervasive corruption. In The News International, analyst Saqib Barjis argues that transparency and accountability must transcend rhetoric to become bedrock principles of society.
Whistleblowing, he emphasizes, is indispensable for combating corruption’s culture of complicity. Yet Pakistan’s 2019 Whistleblower Protection Act lacks teeth: no real enforcement, no anonymity assurances, no reprisal protections.
Barjis calls for overhauling the legal framework to meet UNCAC standards, noting that anti-corruption laws exist on paper but falter without governmental commitment.
Pakistan teeters on the brink, its institutions hollowed by accountability deficits that drive away talent and capital. ‘Merit-based professionals flee not because they reject Pakistan, but because Pakistan rejects merit,’ he writes.
Strong whistleblower defenses aren’t the sole solution but the essential starting point for reform. Countries embracing accountability flourish with investment and credibility; those rejecting it invite inevitable downfall.
By shielding those who expose wrongdoing, Pakistan can rebuild trust and secure a viable path forward. Fail to protect them, and the nation risks permanent relegation to failed-state status.