LHC orders release of Toshkhana.

LHC orders release of Toshkhana record from 1990-2001. 

Lahore: Justice Asim Hafeez of the Lahore High Court (LHC) on Wednesday ordered the government to make the complete record of Toshkhana from 1990 to 2001 public despite the government's opposition.

The federal government objected to sharing the source of a gift and said it would challenge the verdict.To this, Justice Asim Hafeez said it is your right to file a challenge.

"No one can retain the gift without making payment," the order stated.

Earlier this month, the federal government released the Toshkhana record from 2002 onwards, exposing the political leadership of the country that benefitted from the depository.

The government had maintained that releasing all the records may harm Pakistan's relations with friendly countries, however, the court ignored these warnings and ordered to declassify records.

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Last week, the court ordered the presentation of the Toshkhana record prior to 2002 in any format available, adding that it would pass appropriate orders after reviewing the record.

New policy of Toshkhana.

The policy notified on March 8,2023, abolishes the previous rules which allowed the government functionaries to retain any gift by paying 50% of the price assessed.

Now any gift exceeding US$300 shall straight away become Toshkhana property while gifts valued up to US$300 can be retained by the recipient without any discount on the payment of assessed market value.

The recipients, however, can retain gifts of perishable items without reporting or depositing them in Toshkhana.

To ensure that every gift received is reported and deposited in Toshkhana, the policy envisages that the chief of protocol, Ministry of foreign Affairs, or his representative attached to a visiting dignitary or a foreign delegation, shall be responsible to supply list of the gifts received, together with names of the recipients, to the Cabinet Division.

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...........................LHC orders release of Toshkhana record from 1990-2001...............