Tale of corruption

This refers to the article, ‘The train to Panama’ (April 11) by Zaigham Khan. From Old Delhi’s Neharwali Haveli to Burj Al Arab in Dubai, or from Jati Umra to Panama, or from Bambino to Manoir de la Reine Blanche, or the rise from police underlings to the leading industrial family of Gujrat with numerous foreign assets, it is an endless tale of unchecked plunder by both the civilian and uniformed elite of this country. They have reduced Quaid’s Pakistan to a lawless country ravaged by poverty, illiteracy, unemployment and terrorism. The tragedy is that those who benefitted the most have not paid back their debts to Pakistan by paying taxes and keeping their assets here.

The list of former PMs, bureaucrats, generals, diplomats, intelligence officers, etc, living abroad is endless. In which country does this happen? Does this not compromise our national interests? All such money stashed in offshore companies – that fails the check of transparency and on which no tax is paid – is illegal by any definition of the law. The onus to justify the source of income should lie with its beneficiary – and not the state, otherwise corruption and money laundering can never be curtailed.

Malik Tariq Ali

Lahore