Corruption Watchdog Accuses Pakistan of Harassment

The head of Transparency International’s Pakistan office has accused the Pakistani government of intimidation and harassment over the corruption watchdog’s monitoring of U.S. aid in the Islamic country.

“Recent statements by officials of the Pakistani government amount to harassment,” Syed Adil Gilani, chairman of the Transparency International branch in Pakistan, told The New York Times in an interview on Nov. 29.

Pakistani Interior Minister Rehman Malik has called Transparency International a “detective agency” and alleged that it was bribing government officials to elicit information.

“The government should take action against us if we are working illegally, instead of issuing statements,” Gilani said, denying Malik’s accusation.