IHC judge Justice Miangul Hassan Aurangzeb made the remarks while hearing the Cabinet Division’s petition against sharing the details of the 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 then 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 that 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.
But this is nothing new dozens of such gifts have been plundered during Nawaz Sharif regime too, noone took notice.
