LAHORE: The Lahore High Court on Tuesday expressed its dismay over attitude of the cabinet secretary who did not submit an affidavit explaining as to how the Toshakhana details were classified.

The court during the last hearing on a petition seeking details of Toshakhana had directed the secretary to submit his affidavit. Earlier, the court rejected the reply of an officer present in the court and directed him to ensure the compliance of the court orders till next hearing on February 21, otherwise a contempt of court notice would be issued.

The officer told the court that the government is considering to make the details of Toshakhana public. The court expressed its dismay and asked the officer to ensure the compliance of court orders and rose till next hearing.

The federal government had submitted a report and told the court that a new policy on the Toshakhana pending before the cabinet would be more transparent and fair in accordance with international practices.

The report revealed that the prime minister office through a notification issued on November 26, 2015, declared that the information pertaining to Toshakhana gifts was classified as disclosure of such information could cause unnecessary media hype which could be potentially damaging to the interests of Pakistan in the conduct of international relations.

The court after going through the report expressed astonishment over the reasons cited by the government to keep the Toshakhana information classified. The court had directed the secretary cabinet to submit an affidavit explaining as to how the Toshakhana details were classified.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2023