All our rulers, irrespective of their party affiliations, are liars of the highest order. There were over 8000 names in the list of those who benefited from the ignominious NRO. The list of loan defaulters is even bigger. It is shocking, though, that not even one beneficiary of the NRO or any of the loan defaulters willing to admit that he has done anything wrong. The shameless tenacity of these thugs is, indeed, remarkable. Beside these two kinds, we have other species of thugs too. There are those who get huge plots on throw away prices at the time of their retirement. And those who get a plot, or even plots, often gratis whenever a new housing colony is started anywhere in the country. Then, there are those who don't just get plots but huge bungalows too that are fully-furnished by the leading real estate or business tycoons. Above them all is the class of bearded beasts, the revered and venerated maulanas and maulvis. The most outstanding and oft-quoted example of their ilk is the one who is known through out the country as the 'Maulana Diesel'. It is believed that he can outsmart, indeed out-thug, the biggest thugs of this Land of the Pious. He has amassed huge wealth but there is no law of the land that could catch him. He is the biggest blackmailer of all among our political leaders, having outscored even the previous virtuoso of the trade, that powerful blackmailer of a fascist ethnic party who is currently in London. How many of these thieves would the judiciary be able to catch? -SHAIKH JABBAR AHMAD, Pakpattan, December 26