More than a year after British newspaper Mail alleged that Shehbaz Sharif had laundered the aid money given by the UK government during his tenure as chief minister of Punjab, London High Court has called on the paper to prove its assertions in a defamation lawsuit. A successful first round for Sharif. Nevertheless, this hearing is not to mean that Sharifs have escaped the Damoclean sword hanging by the slenderest of threads over their heads. While the publication needs to prove that Shehbaz being party to and principal beneficiary of money laundering to the tune of millions of pounds, there must be ample evidence available in the form of telegraphic transfers, business cheques and available confessions. If substantiated, these claims would have a chilling effect on the opposition’s holier-than-thou narrative. But the long-winded tale of corruption intertwining Sharif family goes much, much deeper. Non-bailable warrants have already been issued against former chief minister’s wife, Nusrat Shehbaz, and daughter, Rabia Imran and their assets have been frozen. Last year, Hamza Shehbaz was indicted in money laundering reference by the accountability court. Salman Shehbaz is in a tight spot over alleged money laundering through fake accounts and those owned by company employees. What this points to is a deep-rooted, systemic permeation of exercising authority without accountability. Shehbaz’s much-touted innocence sounds pretty far-fetched when compared to allegations of accumulating assets around Rs 7000 million. Even if he was not complicity involved in such an extensive misappropriation of funds, how could he be naive enough to look the other way at the top-to-bottom economic uphaul of his family. His wealth is said to have multiplied 70 times in 10 years: something blisteringly underscored by his opponents. Over the years, Salman Shehbaz has repeatedly found himself under fire for his said central position in the mega-sugar scandal. Why wasn’t Shehbaz aware of what was happening under his own nose? Turning blind to the wrongdoings of our kin is a very common phenomenon. Oblivious to the sudden ownership of flashy cars and highly-sought-after bungalows, most families are only interested in bragging about their riches. Another prime example of (mis)using the family’s influence would be the adventures of Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry’s son, Arsalan. Why couldn’t his father hold him to account for owning luxury flats in London, hotels in Park Lane and gambling debts in Monte Carlo? The whole world just sat back and watched as the prodigal son brought unprecedented wrath upon Justice Chaudhry’s credibility. Parents in key positions should maintain the right checks at the right time. Allowing the situation to go out of hand can only lead to flashes of regret. Plain and simple, Sharifs and Chaudhrys have lost much, much more (public standing and trust) than their ambitious relatives could achieve. About time they realised that! *