LAHORE: The federal government submitted details of Toshakhana gifts to the Lahore High Court (LHC) which a senior official termed “classified” on Tuesday.
The government primarily expressed averseness to submit the Toshakhana details, explaining that the revelation may “cause damage to the interests of Pakistan’s international relations”.
The Cabinet Division had also submitted a report before the court, informing that a new policy on the Toshakhana was being formulated which would be more transparent, fair and in accordance with international practices.
Justice Asim Hafeez of the LHC conducted a hearing into a petition filed by lawyer Munir Ahmad through Advocate Azhar Siddique in 2022, 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.
According to the petitioner, the members of a democratic society should be sufficiently informed that they may intelligently influence the decision which may affect them. Therefore, the people of Pakistan had the right to know every public act, everything that is done in a public way, by public functionaries and their chosen representatives.
