APROPOS the article ‘Lead the way, Mr Prime Minister’ (April 28). The writer says, “Over the years, I have seen and heard so much about how almost every racket involving government pricing basically becomes part of the giant patronage machines that the political parties run, that it is enough to cause one to lose faith in the mainstream institutions of our economy.” How true!

The whole checkered history of our country is ridden with corruption, involving the rackets of different powerful mafias which have eaten into the vitals of our economy.

A quick look at the long list of white elephants will be sufficient to understand the impact of these mafias. But, the million dollar question that still remains: Who’s going to clean this muck?

I feel the first thing this country needs is deterrent punishments. Doesn’t anybody see as to why the crime rate in Saudi Arabia is negligible? It’s because of deterrent punishments.

By implementing deterrent punishments, we should be able to clean the mess. But, who’s going to do it?

Air-Cdre (r) Azfar A Khan

Rawalpindi

(2)

THE Panama Papers crisis is bringing out strange bed fellows. One such case is Asma Jahangir defending Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif by saying ‘accountability at the cost of democracy is unacceptable’.

She implies that the country needs Mr Sharif in order to progress whatever that means in her vocabulary, and that Pakistan without Nawaz Sharif would mean poverty.

She is on record having said that “I am the fiercest critic of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, but one thing I know is that instability at this point will cost us a lot and will bring poverty to the country.”

That is funny. What about the poverty that is already reeling in our country and society? Where are the projects by which Mr Sharif is bringing prosperity – the yellow cab and the orange line?

Or does she think that the $46 billion Chinese investment for CPEC is a specific offer to Nawaz Sharif that will be withdrawn when he turns out to be corrupt and has to resign?

Instead of full-fledged accountability of Pakistani leadership she proposes that there should only be a two-point term of reference, suggesting accountability of the prime minister, the leader of the opposition and every parliamentary leader of the political parties through a parliamentary committee.

This, she said, would purge the menace of corruption from politics. Such a reduced scope of accountability would leave her out. Is that the purpose of all the noise she is making?

Ali Ashraf Khan

Karachi

(3)

PRIME Minister Nawaz Sharif is trying to hide the truth from the people who just want to know when his sons acquired or set up the offshore companies. What were the sources of funding for these companies?

He has asked the chief justice to set up a commission to investigate corruption since 1947. Why is he not presenting properties’ ownership documents abroad and bank accounts used to send money from Pakistan legally?

Onus of explaining funding sources is on him. I request chief justice not to constitute a commission. It is not the job of judiciary to investigate corruption and white collar crimes.

Only the verification of Panama Papers is required to confirm that he is really Ameen and Sadiq as per Article 62 and 63 of the Constitution.

S. T. Hussain

Lahore

Published in Dawn, May 2nd, 2016