Jhagra | Pakistan

PTI leader Taimur Saleem Jhagra said judicial corruption and institutional distrust were barriers to capital investment in the country, while he assailed the government on Saturday following the release of the International Monetary Fund’s (IMF) Governance and Corruption Diagnostic Assessment (GCDA) report. The report, published earlier this week, highlighted persistent corruption challenges in Pakistan driven by systemic weaknesses across state institutions and demanded immediate initiation of a 15-point reform agenda to improve transparency, fairness and integrity. Speaking at a press conference today about the report in Islamabad with former Sindh governor Mohammad Zubair, Jhagra highlighted a portion of the report that said: “The judicial sector that is organisationally complex is not able to [reliably] enforce contracts [or protect property rights] due to problems with efficiency, antiquated laws and the integrity of judges and judicial personnel.” “[The report] also points out how capital investments in...

The PTI’s Taimur Saleem Jhagra claimed on Friday that he was barred from clearing immigration and boarding his flight to the United States at Peshawar Airport. The former KP finance minister said in a post on X that he was travelling to Washington, DC, to attend a debate at the Pakistan Conclave at Georgetown University, but could not clear immigration. “At the airport, I was told my name was on the PNIL (Provisional National Identification List), and hence that my passport was inactive,” Jhagra wrote. “The FIA staff said they would have been unable to even comply with court orders, unless the computer system they had was updated with the status.” He said there was a lack of transparency with the PNIL and questioned who can add and remove names from the list and for what purpose. “I had written to [the] secretary [of] interior on November 4, anticipating this, and personally delivered the letter to the ministry. In ten days, I received no response,” Jhagra added. “I also went to court, and even had a hearing ...