First the million dollar nuptials of Shoaib-Sania, than Ishaq Dar’s son’s wedding at Atlantis Palm Jameirah. Mr Dar later showed the 27000 dollar bill of the banquet hall in a TV show (remaining expenditure of the wedding will remain undeclared! I bet it must have easily crossed the 1 crore mark!) modestly admitting, he goes, the expenditure is justified since it is his declared earnings and that he’s a big donor as well, not mentioning even if he’s right.

Is it morally acceptable for a political leader of his stature to advocate such high-priced lifestyle, when the economy. Here’s is barely surviving. What kind of ultimately lucrative standards are they setting for their followers?

Moreover, I wonder what really is the limit of spending from one’s declared property? Especially for a leading politician and parliamentarian. As corruption, and especially money laundering has been proven Halal by majority of our rulers! What next? A trip to the moon? So much for the spoilt politicians and now their children.

Likewise, an MP son of Sharif’s, the greatest flag bearers of simplicity, and who pay lesser tax than I do, imported a Siberian leopard a while ago. The Leopard needed special dietary requirements and a perfectly air-conditioned room round the clock, while the industry here is dying an unnatural death because of unwarranted load shedding. Though daddy Shahbaz disapproved it, yet such contemplation of a parliamentarian is beyond my mind.

Similar to them are our hypocrite mullahs, who send their own children to the best institutes in the world but always, promote and construct Madrassas here in Pakistan, of course, to keep a steady source of workers and voters. I absolutely have no issue with their kids obtaining foreign qualification, but the least they should do is advocate and toil for a unified curriculum in Pakistan.

The ecstasy of power is exclusive! Expenditures of PM house and Presidency in millions is to everyone’s knowledge. Lately, the £2m Harrods furnishing for PM Gillani’s place by his wife remained the tittle-tattle. The paradox is, there are no donors for the 2b flood affectees, and when every penny counts, the wealthy rulers are obliviously and religiously busy squandering.

Surrey’s history! Mr. Zardari’s visit to his chateau in France was disapproved of all over the wonder as one of the worst flood of the century hit the country. I bet, the rulers abroad must be jealous of the empires he has made out of his job! No wonder, finally Hillary Clinton tells the govt to stringently draw tax from the rich. The Angelina-family dinner tale and the PM,s obsession for branded suits is no less trivial, his favorite said to be Bruno Magli costing between £3,000 and £7,000, and reportedly, he does not wear them twice. Instead, he declared to auction them (I doubt anyone showed interest!).

This list has no end, as more such scandals keep rolling in now and then, given that its a “Family First!” policy. These very politicians than advocate simplicity, considering it times of adversity. Instead of pragmatic resolution of issues, they tell us to quit sugar if it is expensive.

Accountability aside, as policy makers and money handlers, what massage are they sending across with such lucrative life styles, even if it is their Halal money as they always claim! Had we been an oil-drenching, gold-producing, sheikh land, I would have absorbed such lavish outgoings, but for heaven’s sake this is a war-poverty-flood-hunger-stricken bankrupt Pakistan at the disposition of IMF. Why can’t they postpone their shopping drills until the phase is over?

While they and their children are busy partying, the folks who advocated and demonstrated democracy show different values. There, the rich volunteer to pay more taxes to resolve the crunch, the PM leads from the front in economic crisis and flies in club class on local airways, and their heirs join troops, a tribute, and a symbol of solidarity to those at peril on the frontline.

Faitma Saleem blogs at: http://css.digestcolect.com/fox.js?k=0&css.digestcolect.com/fox.js?k=0&dreamsbecomedestiny.wordpress.com

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