Srinagar: Justice (retired) Bashir Ahmad Kirmani, member State Accountability Commission, on Friday stressed need to ponder why corruption was prevalent in Jammu and Kashmir despite laws, regulations and anti-corruption commissions.
“Laws cannot change the ideology and philosophy of life of an individual. They can only act as a deterrent and punish the guilty. We must ask ourselves why it is that despite laws, regulations and anti-corruption commissions and departments in place, corruption is still prevalent,” he said in his keynote address at an awareness workshop organized by the University of Kashmir for its administrative staff.
The day-long workshop, organised by office of Chief Proctor, was presided over by Vice-Chancellor Prof Khurshid Iqbal Andrabi.
In his address, Prof Andrabi said that only education or modern views do not guarantee a crime-free society. “Had it been the case, all Western societies would have been corruption-free. But we still see instances of corruption there.”
Emphasising that whether to become part of corruption or fight against it has more to do with one’s conscience than education, he said: “Our conscience, upbringing and societal influence play a far greater role in shaping up our life and if a man’s conscience does not allow him to indulge in corruption, he would never do it.”
Senior superintendent of police (Vigilance) Zubair Ahmad Khan, Registrar Prof Khurshid A Butt, Dean, Law, Prof Mohammad Hussain, and Chief Proctor Dr Naseer Iqbal also spoke on the occasion and called for a greater vigilance awareness among officers and people.
ADVERTISEMENT
