As Pakistan's political rivals intensely clash to demolish one another, the British prime minister's choice this month to return the cost of freebies he received earlier, must serve as a timely lesson for the country's ruling elite. The equivalent of roughly $8,500 returned by Keir Starmer was paid against the cost of tickets to a musical concert, horse racing events and a football match. These expenditures were challenged on the grounds of being improper and therefore not fit to be charged to the public treasury.
In sharp contrast, such freebies will be left unnoticed by Pakistan's political class with a history of seizing a lot more during their tenures. Ignoring such largesse over time lies at the heart of the erosion of values in public life over previous decades. Today, opposition leader Imran Khan remains tangled up in the 'Toshakhana' case, involving the sale of gifts that he received while serving as the prime minister.
But his predecessors, Nawaz Sharif and President Asif Ali Zardari gained equally if not much more, when the laws of the land were set aside to allow them to purchase luxury vehicles after they paid far below their actual prices. These choices remain just the tip of the proverbial iceberg, in a country where largesse for the ruling class at the public's expense has been an acceptable norm for long. Down the line from the top tiers of government to the bottom, grabbing assets of the state as legitimate patronage is a recurring theme in Pakistan's history.