IT is telling of the general bankruptcy of our national etiquette that our leaders have soiled even the time-honoured tradition of diplomatic gift-giving with their piteous greed. The Toshakhana was once a solemn entity, quietly cataloguing and collecting the diplomatic gifts received by Pakistan’s representatives during exchanges with their counterparts from other nations. Some of these gifts were presented by heads of state, others by royals, yet others by those of different but no less important social and political stature. Tradition dictated that these gifts were never meant for the individual they were presented to; rather, they were tokens of welcome and appreciation for the office and people represented by the person receiving them. Because they were exchanged on special occasions or in special circumstances, each of these gifts would have a unique significance. It would offer important clues as to what the giver thought important at the time: for example, why they thought it appropriate for the individual it was presented to, and what impression about their country, or even themselves, they were trying to leave behind.

In any moderately self-respecting society, tokens of such great diplomatic and historical significance would have been housed in a museum for the general public to appreciate. Unfortunately for us, the men and women who have had the privilege of representing our country in high-level diplomatic exchanges seem to have generally lacked such refinement or decorum. Like greedy magpies, they were unable to resist their instincts when presented with shiny objects. So pitiful has their behaviour been that there have been instances where gifts have quietly been pocketed without ever being declared in the official record. Even when gifts were deposited in the Toshakhana, our leaders sought to make away with them for as little as they could give in return. The list of names is long and includes political and nonpolitical leaders alike.

Clearly, some changes need to be made to the Toshakhana rules. The public does not necessarily need to know which dignitary has given what, and such records may be kept secret to avoid any diplomatic embarrassment. However, the public must know which politician is retaining a gift from the Toshakhana, what its market value could be, and what is being paid in return. The percentage of the assessed market value of a gift required to be paid to retain it also needs to be increased substantially so that our leaders are discouraged from treating the Toshakhana as a yard sale for invaluable objects. These measures may help prevent the abuse of privileges that come with representing the state, while also inviting greater scrutiny of our leaders’ finances. It is time to end the shameful disrespect of diplomatic niceties. It has repeatedly embarrassed us as a nation, as well as those foreign nations that have found themselves caught up in our petty scandals.

Published in Dawn, December 28th, 2022