ISLAMABAD: Defense Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif confirmed on Thursday that the government has approved the release of Toshakhana’s gift records on the order of the High Court.
Regarding Toshakhana’s gift records, the move comes days after the government informed the Lahore High Court (LHC) that Toshakhana’s gift records dating back to 2002 have been falsified. It is being “declassified” and will be uploaded on the Internet after final consideration.
The LHC on January 19 directed the government to submit an affidavit describing the details of Toshakhana’s gifts as “classified”.
In a statement, the Defense Minister said that the record of Toshakhana will be uploaded on the website of the Cabinet Division. On February 22, the authorities presented in the court a record of the Toshakhana gifts received from foreign dignitaries to prime ministers, presidents and bureaucrats since the creation of Pakistan.
Deputy Attorney General Asad Bajwa informed the court that it was a “classified” record and the court could open it. However, the final decision in this regard will be taken in the upcoming meeting of the federal cabinet.
Meanwhile, the Federal Cabinet approved the National Accountability (Amendment) Ordinance 2023 and the Hajj Policy for the year 2023 in its meeting chaired by Prime Minister Muhammad Shahbaz Sharif on Thursday.
On the recommendation of the Ministry of Law and Justice, the Cabinet approved the enactment of the National Accountability (Amendment) 2023 to remove some of the complications arising after the recent amendments to the National Accountability Ordinance, 1999.
The enactment of the Ordinance will provide legal protection to the transfer of cases by accountability courts to other courts. After the amendment of the National Accountability Ordinance 1999, the accountability courts will be able to transfer cases not under the jurisdiction of NAB. This will also remove the impression that such cases which do not fall under the jurisdiction of NAB are criminal
At present accountability courts are facing legal complications in transferring such cases to other courts, tribunals and forums.
After the approval of the Hajj Policy 2023, the Prime Minister directed the Ministry of Religious Affairs to provide all possible facilities to the pilgrims during their journey and stay in the two holy cities with the support of the Saudi authorities.
Under the Hajj policy, the government decided to allocate 50 percent quota for the sponsorship scheme while the remaining 50 percent quota was fixed for the regular scheme and the private scheme. Only overseas Pakistanis and their relatives will be able to benefit from the sponsorship by depositing the Haj expenses in foreign exchange.
Scheduled banks are likely to start receiving Hajj applications from March 13, while the Hajj expenses are likely to be between Rs 11 lakh and Rs 12 lakh, given the current Pakistani currency rate.
The National Clean Air Policy was also approved in the meeting in view of the increasing air pollution in major cities like Karachi and Lahore. According to estimates, the average life expectancy in the country has decreased by 2.7 years due to air pollution. According to the World Bank, the country’s economy was also damaged due to this.
Increasing fuel standards from Euro 5 to Euro 6, stricter enforcement of industrial emissions and smoke regulations and waste disposal have been proposed to bring about a substantial reduction in air pollution.
A National Action Committee and a Technical Committee will be set up to ensure the implementation of a clear air policy as well as recommend changes in it every five years keeping in mind ground realities. The cabinet meeting was told that emissions of toxic gases can be reduced by 40%, especially from industries, and the average life expectancy will increase by two years if the policy is strictly implemented.
