Govt Submits ‘Classified’Record Of Toshakhana In LHC

Lahore: Details of Toshakhana gifts, which a senior official described as “classified”, are provided by the federal government to the Lahore High Court (LHC) on Tuesday. It is at the court’s discretion to unseal the documents.

Asserting that their disclosure may “cause damage to the interests of Pakistan’s foreign relations,” the administration had initially expressed reluctance to submit the Toshakhana documents.

LHC Justice Asim Hafeez conducted a hearing into a petition filed by lawyer Munir Ahmad through Advocate Azhar Siddique seeking the government to make public the complete details of Toshakhana gifts received by political rulers and bureaucrats from foreign dignitaries since the creation of Pakistan.

Section Officer Binyamin presented the sealed record to Justice Asim and Deputy Attorney General Asad Bajwa submitted that the record was classified, adding that the federal cabinet would make a decision about making the record public in its next meeting. However, the court observed that it was not inclined to open the sealed record for now.

Subsequently, the court issued a summon to the head of the Toshakhana Department with an undertaking for Feb 23 and adjourned the hearing until then.

Established in 1974, the Toshakhana is a department under the administrative control of the Cabinet Division and stores precious gifts given to rulers, parliamentarians, bureaucrats, and officials by heads of other governments and states and foreign dignitaries.

According to Toshakhana rules, gifts/presents and other such materials received by persons to whom these rules apply shall be reported to the Cabinet Division.In light of proceedings against former Prime Minister Imran Khan for “not providing information” of Toshakhana presents, the department has been in the news recently.

While in power, the PTI resisted orders from the Pakistan Information Commission (PIC) to reveal information on the gifts Imran has received since taking office in 2018, claiming that doing so would jeopardise relations with other countries. APP