Pakistan, Nov. 9 -- When religious authority, political influence, and control over money rest in the same hands, who can demand accountability? Around Pakistan's shrines, this question raises serious concerns. Devotees may hesitate to challenge a spiritual authority; officials may be reluctant to confront a politically connected custodian. This results in silence, which leads to financial abuse.

A shrine's donations and endowed properties carry obligations to the institution and its beneficiaries. Custodianship cannot, by itself, establish ownership or entitlement to income. Yet where administrative authority and personal interests become difficult to distinguish, religious devotion can become a source of private wealth.

The federal se...