The entire world seems to have been shaken by the Panama Leaks. Prominent political and non-political personalities are being looked upon with suspicion due to allegations ranging from stashing ill-gotten wealth in offshore companies to incorrect filing of tax returns.

Prime Ministers of Iceland and Ukraine seem to have faced the music. David Cameroon also had a tough time to clear himself from the stains of tax evasion. In Pakistan, many personalities have been mentioned for their involvement in offshore business associations of profit.

A fresh tirade of corruption charges against the ruling clique has been launched by the opposition party ranks. The ordinary man is confused about who to believe. While it is a fact that the country is not being run in a transparent manner, the nature and magnitude of malpractices are difficult to gauge.

In this backdrop, one of the most important aspects is to understand the various forms of corruption. Corruption is perceived as a financial and monetary ailment that is mirrored in the form of bribery, extortion, bungling of public-funds, over spending and cooking of books.

A cursory look at the state of affairs show that willful acts of abuse of power, inappropriate decision-making and fiddling with administrative/legal structure for self interests are far more damaging types of corruption that continue to destroy the moral edifice of the society. As the old adage goes, ‘absolute power corrupts absolutely.’ There are many examples in our recent past which can help us understand this scenario.

If one attempts to catalogue the forms of corruption, the volume can become invariably fat. However, observation shows that corruption in certain sectors affects the common people the most.

Planning and development of physical infrastructure, high end real estate projects of dubious orientation, drastic change of land use for laissez fare profiteering in our cities and hinterland, routine construction practices, systems of law and order enforcement, lower level judicial procedures, pricing controls, hoarding of bulk consumables, land ownership and transfer issues, matrimonial registration and dissolution, water management, power distribution and billing, piracy and copy right matters, education (admission and assessment), health care facilities and many other are all areas that are completely marred by malpractice and corruption.

The immediate fallout of corruption on human behaviour has been complex. A sizable number of people, including government functionaries, now consider corruption as an accepted norm of life. Many folks consider raising any voice against corruption to be a futile exercise.

Again, a significant number of masses live with frustration, agitated minds and feeling of helplessness. The number of success stories in dealing with corruption has been very few and far between. It is most pertinent to look at corruption matters from a scientific perspective.

Pakistan remained in the company of most corrupt nations as far as the corruption perception index is concerned. In 2015, the Global Corruption Perception Index prepared by Transparency International placed Pakistan at 117 -- a value indicating very high value of corruption. The previous scores have shown similar tendencies.

The situation cannot improve until and unless solid measures are taken by the decision makers. The first level is the recognition of corruption as an existing menace and ailment which has to be dealt with. According to one researcher on the subject, if the government simply applies all the existing laws, rules and procedures, a drastic change can be achieved.

Many institutions are already in place which needs reinforcement in capacity as well as the freedom to work independently. Public Account Committees -- comprising elected representatives, office of Auditor General and internal scrutiny/audit mechanisms can help eradicate corruption. The second step that is needed is to encourage whistle blowers to identify and report corruption without fear.

In many countries including India, whistle-blowing is legally safeguarded. The courts of law often possesses suo motu jurisdiction which they liberally apply, however, the overall capacity is limited. The third aspect is the creation and promotion of social images of the related people, especially the high-ups. One finds that the most corrupt of leaders and functionaries are projected as heroes for some interest. This approach needs a thorough review.

The process of investigation and fact finding must be structured in an objective and sincere manner where all the concerned parties need to be neutrally heard. The inquiries and action are based on selective justice, usually leaving the big fish in the pond. Many outfits created in the past or the present National Accountability Bureau have been criticised for acts of witch-hunting.

Imprisonment and release as well as plea-bargains with the most notorious of crooks raise eyebrows. A former chairman of WAPDA was given the benefit of plea bargain deal worth Rs199m, as reported by sections of the press.

Sizable feedback can be drawn from scientifically structured organisations. Transparency International (TI) has a presence in Pakistan which requires to be spread out to more organisations.

Local and national chamber of commerce & industry networks should develop partnership with TI to ensure corruption free operations. It will be useful for organisations that have been traditionally accused of illegal profiteering and financial corruption. United Nations Global Compact, World Economic Forum Partnering Against Corruption Initiative (PACI), International Federation of Consulting Engineers (FIDIC), International Chamber of Commerce Anti-Corruption Commission and many other non-state based initiatives have very useful guidelines to offer in respect of public and private sector functioning.

Asian Development Bank’s strategies to combat corruption are a very useful regional option that critically examines the lending and working of ADB in member countries. At times, the observations of ADB Watch have been useful in preventing unwanted funding from ADB for not so important projects.

There is a growing concern among international financial institutions to bring about internal reforms against corruption. Above all, the clean of the country must be celebrated and projected as role models.