The Lahore High Court has directed the federal government to submit the complete Toshakhana record from 1947 to 2001.
A two-judge bench, headed by Justice Shahid Bilal Hassan, heard the federal government’s appeal challenging a Lahore High Court’s single-bench order to make the details of the Toshakhana public.
The court also issued notices to all parties concerned for April 17.
The government’s lawyer told the court that the LHC single bench had ordered to make public the record of donor countries to the Toshakhana.
The government made the record of the gifts of Toshakhana public, Mirza Nasr said, claiming if the source of the gifts was revealed, it might affect foreign relations.
Justice Muhammad Raza Qureshi observed the issue will only go further from here.
Lawyer Azhar Siddique said the government was being trapped, which is why the record of Toshakhana was made public.
Justice Shahid Bilal Hasan noted that all the big guns will be held accountable now.
“The government of the people is for the people,” he added.
A single bench had in late March ordered to make public the details of the state gifts from 1990 to 2001.
Late last month, the LHC had ordered the federal government to publicize the complete records of Toshakhana from 1990 to 2001.
During the hearing, Justice Asim Hafeez remarked that nothing can be kept hidden, no gift can be retained without payment, while instructing all records be made public.—INP
