Sir: Reference a decision by NAB to reach a “Plea Bargain” deal with Mushtaq Raisani, former Finance Secretary of Baluchistan, whom it had accused of corruption to the tune of Rs 40 billion. They have accepted Mushtaq Raisani’s request to surrender Rs2 Billion and in return get a clean chit as if he and his accomplices had never committed any irregularity. Corruption was a stigma in Quaid’s Pakistan but it has been a merit in post Ayub Khan, Zia, Musharraf, Asif Zardari or Nawaz Sharif’s era. This reminds me of an advice and definition of corruption given to me by former bureaucrat serving in Income Tax, who chose to seek premature retirement and now owns factories and prime real estate in addition to property abroad. This gentleman who is a member of elite clubs told me that “Pilfering the state of funds etc by a serving bureaucrat or any other public office holder (civil, uniformed or elected) is not corruption”. When I asked him to elaborate this wise man stated that corruption is committed when an individual robs another individual or deprives him of cash etc. How correct and realistic is this redefined version of perks and privileges of public offices can be gauged by ground realities that exist in Pakistan. Instead of wasting the already depleted national exchequer by creating such white elephants as NAB and other financial regulatory agencies, corruption should be redefined and individuals involved given benefit through One Window operation to deposit a small percentage of not more than 10 percent of heist to whiten all his loot. What purpose does NAB serve when not a single individual accused of high profile corruption case involving billions has ever been imprisoned and all his moveable and immovable properties seized. One must appreciate NAB’s efforts to facilitate these talented white collar criminals because if this state funded anti-corruption agency is to be believed, they have already over Rs3 billion of cash and assets recovered from Finance Secretary and the state may return or payback almost Rs1 billion. MALIK TARIQ ALI Lahore