“Our premise was all wrong – reaching spiritual heights does not preclude love of physical asset accumulation.”
“Besides it’s not as if one can live on air.”
“Air is technically free of charge or tax but the air quality…”
“I get it - climate justice for all.”
“Indeed, anyway I fail to understand why you would criticize a spiritual guide enjoying some jewelry…”
“The Khan has successfully collected charity amounting to millions of dollars from all over the world for his cancer hospitals and a University and continues to do so my question is: why didn’t he put some amount that he raised from the sale of Toshakhana gifts, even if it was as little as zakat, into his charitable ventures. I mean…”
“Hey zakat is deducted from our bank accounts…”
“What you need to focus on is that if The Third Wife received such expensive gifts then how much would Nawaz Sharif’s wife or other dignitaries souses have received as gifts from Arab kings and princes and…”
“These are all worldly people who have never ever displayed any spirituality; besides if I recall the Arabs didn’t like Zardari sahib – he only went once on a visit to the Kingdom during his tenure as the country’s President and I am not sure whether they gave him any gifts…”
“I don’t know anything about that, anyway what is the solution to all this. I mean initiating cases against The Khan and his Third Wife does not preclude his successors doing precisely what he did.”
“Shehbaz Sharif has displayed his gifts in the Prime Minister’s House and…”
“That doesn’t mean the practice cannot be re-established as soon as he is gone.”
“We could ask the Arabs to stop giving gifts.”
“Well given what The Khan did with their gifts I reckon they may be considering that option but my suggestion is do what Modi did when he was chief minister Gujarat: auctioned off his gifts and the money generated which he claimed was about 100 crore rupees was given to a charity that focused on girl education.”
“And he killed Muslims at the time…”
“Indeed, so the moral is: don’t kill innocent Muslims and continue to give in charity.”
“Nah, the moral is it’s OK to be spiritually and materially engaged in life.”
“As long as the existing laws, however inappropriate, are not violated…”
“Hmmm, but the amendments in National Accountability ordinance are being challenged by the spiritualists so change is possible in the laws.”
“Draw your own parallels my friend.”
Copyright Business Recorder, 2022