Islamabad: Corruption must be punished with the death sentence, the new chief of the high court in Pakistan's most populous province of Punjab said on Thursday.
Justice Ijaz Ahmad Chaudhry was speaking at a prize distribution ceremony for students after being sworn in earlier in the day as chief justice of the Lahore High Court (LHC) following retirement of his predecessor Khwaja Sharif.
He said that in the past, dictators seized power in the country to wipe out corruption but indulged in corruption themselves.
"We are Muslims but we do not care about ethics and we cheat each other. On the other hand non-Muslim countries follow basic human values", the state-run news agency quoted him a saying.
No law providing for capital punishment for corruption exists in the country at present, but the observations of the judge reflected a general perception about corruption being rampant in all spheres of national life including the government.
The Supreme Court has taken up various cases of massive corruption and is currently also looking into allegations that officials of the religious affairs ministry made money through corrupt practices in making arrangements for Pakistani pilgrims during the recent Haj.
Minister for Religious Affairs Hamid Kazmi has been under fire from the media over the alleged bungling. Even his cabinet colleague Azam Swati, Minister for Science and Technology, has made serious accusations. But Kazmi has denied he was involved.
Swati, who belongs to Jamiat Ulema Islam party, a partner in the ruling coalition led by the Pakistan People's Party, told reporters after a Supreme Court hearing on Thursday that he would provide concrete evidence at the next hearing on Monday.
