ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court has issued a notice to the Cabinet Division for refusing to provide details of the gifts received by the Prime Ministers and Presidents since the establishment of Pakistan and asked them to submit a report within a month.
Islamabad High Court Justice Mian Gul Hasan Aurangzeb heard the request of Abuzar Salman Niazi. Advocate Waseem Abid appeared in court on behalf of the petitioner.
During the hearing, the counsel said that the petitioner sought details of gifts given to presidents and prime ministers by other countries, but the Cabinet Division refused to provide the information as it was classified.
The petitioner’s counsel said that the Pakistan Information Commission had issued an order on June 29, but it had not been implemented even after five months.
Justice Hasan remarked that ‘Why are you limiting yourself to Prime Ministers and Presidents and not including the rest of the civil servants? It shows your intentions’. He further said that any such request is only related to the Prime Minister.
Addressing Deputy Attorney General Syed Ahsan Raza, the court ordered to provide the information if there is any record.
To this, Raza said that such information should be available on the website, adding that there would be no records prior to 1990.
The court said that it is possible that the record of Tosha Khana is available. “Provide records if available,” he said.
The court adjourned the hearing of the case and sought a report from the cabinet division within a month.
LHC sought the details of gifts taken from Tosha Khana since 1947.
This is the second time a court has dealt with such a petition.
Earlier this month, the Lahore High Court (LHC) sought details of gifts taken from Tosha Khana since 1947.
Lahore High Court Justice Asim Hafeez asked for the details of Tosha Khana’s gifts on the request of citizen Munir Ahmed.
During the hearing, the counsel for the federal government told the court that the requested details could not be provided.
However, setting aside this argument, the court directed the authorities concerned to submit the details of gifts taken from Tosha Khana since 1947 by January 16.
