LAHORE: The Lahore High Court (LHC) has ordered the government to release the complete record of foreign gifts received by members of successive governments of Nawaz Sharif and Benazir Bhutto between 1990 and 2001 to the public, despite the ruling Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) coalition’s opposition.
The case centres on a government department known as Toshakhana — which during the Mughal era referred to the treasure houses kept by the subcontinent’s princely rulers to store and display gifts lavished on them.
Government officials must declare all gifts to the Cabinet Division, but are allowed to keep those below a certain value.
More expensive items must go to Toshakhana under the administrative control of the Cabinet Division, but in some cases, the recipient can buy them back at around 50 percent of their value — a discount Imran Khan raised from 20 percent while in office.
Earlier this month, the federal government made public the Toshakhana record from 2002 onwards, which revealed the names of the politicians, civil servants, and journalists who have benefited from the depository.
During the hearing on Wednesday, Justice Asim Hafeez directed the authorities to reveal the name of the friendly nations that gifted the items, adding that nothing should be kept hidden from the public view.
However, the government objected to sharing the source of the gifts and expressed its intention to challenge the verdict. In response, the judge said it was the government’s right to file a challenge.
The order further said that no one could retain the gift without making payment.
The directive came on a petition filed by a citizen, Munir Hafeez, who had sought complete details of the gifts since Pakistan’s inception in 1947.
