Shameful conduct.

The Toshakhana saga has taken another sordid turn after the release of department records from 2002 to 2022. Though most of the public's attention thus far had been focused on expensive watches received and sold by former prime minister Imran Khan, the released records have now shone a spotlight on other prominent leaders' practices as well.

From a cursory look at the document provided, it appears that almost no leader who served in an official position during this 20-year period thought it unfair to take advantage of the privileges of their office to procure for personal use various invaluable objects at throwaway prices. Even politicians who otherwise insist that their vast wealth is purely generational had no qualms about paying pennies on the dollar for items they should easily have been able to afford on their own.

The situation is even more contemptible if one considers the fact that the practice of gift-giving at the official level almost always involves a quid pro quo. If our officials received gifts, they also gave items of considerable or even comparable value away. However, the gifts presented by our officials were not paid for with their personal wealth but from public funds. Therefore, would retaining gifts for a small fraction of their value be justified, considering that it was the public which was actually footing the bill for such exchanges?

This and similar questions are being asked as citizens parse the Toshakhana records. It is, indeed, a great service to the public that a part...