Toshakhana: Cabinet Division rejects senior lawyer’s access to state gifts’ records
Cabinet Division rejected to give information of Toshakhana records to a lawyer Abuzar Salman Khan Niazi who sought records of state gifts.
The Cabinet Division has rejected to provide information of Toshakhana records to a senior lawyer Abuzar Salman Khan Niazi who sought records of all gifts received by the prime ministers and presidents since 1947.
Abuzar Salman Khan Niazi had sought records of all the gifts received by the prime ministers and presidents of Pakistan who have occupied the office from 1947 till date to be provided to the undersigned.
The lawyer also sought the market value of the gifts – prevalent at that time – assessed the value of the gifts and the amount paid by the recipients’ presidents and prime ministers of the gifts from 1947 till date.
The Cabinet Division has rejected to provide information of Toshakhana records to a senior lawyer Abuzar Salman Khan Niazi who sought records of all gifts received by the prime ministers and presidents since 1947.
However, the Cabinet Division rejected Abuzar Salman Khan Niazi’s request, stating that the information is classified and cannot be provided as per Clause-7 (f&g) and Clause 16 {1(a)(ii)} of the Right of Access of the Information Act, 2017.
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In a Twitter message, Niazi wrote that he received a reply from the cabinet division in which the institution refused to provide information by claiming confidentiality.
He added that the reply violates Article 19A of the Constitution and is against the spirit of the order passed by the Islamabad High Court (IHC).
In reply2my Letter,requesting information wrt gifts received by PMs&Presidents of Pakistan since 1947&money paid for retaining them,Cabinet Division hs refused2provide information by claiming confidentiality.This violates Art 19A of Cons & is against spirit of order pased by IHC pic.twitter.com/g16Tcn4PXs
— Abuzar Salman Khan Niazi (@SalmanKNiazi1) May 9, 2022
A senior journalist and anchorperson Ameer Abbas commented that the tall claims of the present rulers of Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) and Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) for the rule of democracy were just some fraud statements.
He censured PPP and PML-N rulers by saying that they used to criticise former prime minister Imran Khan and called him ‘Tosha Khan’ but their government refused to provide details of the state gifts retained by all PMs and presidents to the lawyer.
یہ پڑی ہے آپکی فراڈ جمہوریت،PMLN/PPP سارا دن میڈیا پر عمران خان کو توشہ خان کہہ کر سیاسی اداکاری کرتے ہیں مگر انکے اصولوں کی اصلیت یہ ہے کہ @SalmanKNiazi1 نے حکومت سے 1947 تا حال وزرائے اعظم اور صدور کو ملنے والے تحائف کی معلومات مانگیں جو حکومت نے بتانے سے انکار کر دیا ہے
Shame pic.twitter.com/sl1b8UEGFi— Ameer Abbas (@ameerabbas84) May 9, 2022
Earlier in April, the Islamabad High Court’s (IHC) Justice Mian Gul Hassan had observed that the Toshakhana gifts should be retrieved from the individuals who had taken them home.
“People come and go but the Office of the Prime Minister remains at the same place. Every gift given [to the head of the state/government official] belongs to their office, not to be taken home,” Justice Hassan remarked during the hearing of the Cabinet Division’s petition challenging the Information Commission’s orders regarding the Toshakhana details.
The Information Commission had ordered the provision of Toshakhana gifts’ details to the complainant. However, the Cabinet Division maintained that the exchange of gifts between the heads of the states is a reflection of inter-state relations and revealing the details of these gifts can affect these relations, The News reported.
At the outset of the hearing, Deputy Attorney-General Arshad Kiyani appeared before the court on the Centre’s behalf and sought an extension for receiving directives from the authorities concerned.
The court remarked that there is no stay on the Information Commission’s order instead, the Cabinet Division is bound to provide details.
Justice Hassan noted that there is nothing wrong in keeping the gifts for themselves after paying for it, but only if it is done to a limited extent. He directed to make a policy to ensure that the gifts received by the head of the state will only be deposited in the treasury. He objected that the policy to pay a certain percentage of the gift’s value and take it home shouldn’t have been there.
Responding to Kiyani’s request, the court allowed him to get orders from the authorities but still follow the Information Commission’s directive to provide the desired details to the complainant in the meantime.
