Pakistan corruption monitor faces receives death threats

The head of the Pakistan branch of Transparency International has received death threats, he said Tuesday. Syed Adil Gilani said he had been accused of being a foreign agent, but did not name who had made the threats.

Benoit Tessier/Reuters

Transparency International on Thursday voiced concerns that Pakistani Interior Minister Rehman Malik may issue an order to shut down its Pakistan branch.

Pakistan dropped eight places in Transparency International's 2010 Corruption Perception Index.
 

The head of Transparency International, Huguette Labelle, on Thursday wrote to President Asif Ali Zardari and Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry asking them to address any possible state intimidation against Transparency International Pakistan.

Gilani links the threats to Transparency International's monitoring of 7.5 billion dollars of US aid. Transparency International signed an agreement with USAid in September to set up a hotline to monitor the funds.