IHC orders recovery of Toshakhana gifts
ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Wednesday said that the state gifts cannot be taken home and ordered to recover all the Toshakhana gifts.
Justice Miangul Hassan Aurangzeb made the remarks while hearing a Cabinet Division’s petition against sharing the details of foreign gifts obtained by former prime minister Imran Khan.
Earlier, the Pakistan Information Commission (PIC) had ordered to provide the details of the state gifts received by the former prime minister to the citizen.
“State gifts belong to the office. These [gifts] can not be taken home,” remarked the judge. He ordered to recover the Toshakhana gifts from those who had taken them home.
“People come and go but the Prime Minister’s Office remains the same,” he stated.
Justice Aurangzeb remarked that the Cabinet Division is bound to provide information, adding that there is no stay order against the decision of the information commission.
The IHC judge said there shouldn’t have been a policy to pay a percentage of the actual price and take the gift home. He stated that all the state gifts should be kept at a public place.
He underscored the need for a new policy under which all the state gifts should be submitted to the national kitty.
During the course of the proceedings, the IHC ordered to provide the details of gifts received by then prime minister Imran Khan.
At the outset of today’s hearing, Deputy Attorney General Arshad Kiani pleaded with the court to give him time to take directions and information about the gifts.
Foreign gifts are state property and can’t be taken home or sold. If IK has taken the gifts home,it means he had no idea of the nature of foreign gifts.
It might be an unintentional act.
Han ji, isko pata nahi hoga aur kisi ne bataya nehi hoga kionki banda imandar hai ji. Foreign funding case me b mashkook logon sr paisey lekar kha gia us me b pata nehi hoga warna aisa nahi karta kion k banda omandar hai. This is youthia mentality.
This is very disappointing that the man who never tired of crusading against corruption and considered himself as honest stooped so low to sell a precious watch gifted to him by crown prince of Saudi Arabia. He emptied the gifts from toshakhana after paying 20 to 30 pc of its cost and sold them in open market and pocketed millions.
Imran had come to power to make a change and end corruption but he did just the opposite and went ahead of the previous rulers by pocketing money after selling state gifts. More will come soon to expose him, wait for a while.
No wonder when the courts remain on duty at 1200 night.