According to a press report, General Pervez Musharraf and Shaukat Aziz have absconded abroad with their respective collections of hundreds of gifts presented to them by various heads of state during their tenure. The presents include jeweled watches, expensive handicrafts, rare carpets and exquisite diamond jewelry having market value of millions of dollars. Many gifts were not even reported by them due to the present government policy which allows such unethical plunder and legalizes larceny. This policy must be changed immediately so that the valuable gifts received by government functionaries are not kept by them by paying a pittance. Let these gifts be auctioned in public and money collected be deposited in Baitul-Mal. -ENGR S.T. HUSSAIN, Lahore, via e-mail, July 8.