The Lahore High Court has summoned head of Toshakhana in personal capacity on Feb 23 (Thursday) with sealed record. The high court on Wednesday released the interim order on a petition seeking details of the Toshakhana gifts. The order was announced by Justice Asim Hafeez. According to the order, the court summoned head of the Toshakhana department in personal capacity along with sealed record on Thursday.

The court would look into whether the exemption claim was legally true or not, the order read. The court directed the government lawyer to send a copy of its order to the Toshakhana department head for the implementation of the court directive. The lawyer told the court that the prime minister has formed a committee to chalk out a new Toshakhana policy.

He further said that the committee has formulated recommendations for the next cabinet meeting. The court said that in compliance with the court order, the section officer had submitted sealed record. The federal government on Tuesday submitted details on Toshakhana gifts to the Lahore High Court while the deputy attorney general told the court that the information was “classified” saying that the public disclosure of Toshakhana gifts might damage country’s foreign relations.

In its three-page response, the government said: “The Toshakhana was transferred from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to the Cabinet Division in 1973 under Schedule-II of the Rule of Business, 1973. The gifts deposited in Toshakhana of Cabinet Division are governed under the ‘Procedure for Acceptance and Disposal of Gifts’, amended from time to time. Lastly, the Procedure was amended in the year 2018 whereby the retention cost of the gift(s) was enhanced from 20 per cent to 50pc of the assessed value.”

The response further stated: The Prime Minister’s Office (dated 26-11.2015), declared that the information pertaining to Toshakhana gifts is classified as disclosure of such information can cause unnecessary media hype, which could be potentially damaging to the interests of Pakistan in the conduct of international relations.“

A petition seeking details of Toshakhana gifts was filed by a private citizen Munir Ahmad through advocate Azhar Siddique in December 2022. 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.

Credit : Independent News Pakistan-INP