THIS is apropos a small news item `E CP scraps 500-euro note` (May 5). Although, the news may not be of much significance to us, the reason and the message that it gives, needs to be pondered upon; i.e. due to widespread corruption and money laundering in Pakistan.

When the European central bank, despite vigilance and strict laws about documentation, can have apprehension that the 500-note could facilitate illicit activities, such as `money laundering and terrorist financing`, why don`t the people at the helm of affairs in Pakistan feel the heat where the highest denomination of currency is a 5,000-rupee note? It is time some brainstorming was done at the top to tackle the menace of corruption and money laundering. One way out could be to demonetise all currency notes above the denomination of 100, over a period of time. When the US and the UK, with far larger economies, can do with highest denomination of 100 and 50, respectively, why can`t we make it work too? Muhammad K. Sufi Islamabad