LHC asks govt to release Toshakhana record from 1990 to 2001.

LAHORE -- The Lahore High Court on Wednesday ordered the federal government to release the complete record of the Toshakhana for an 11-year period, from 1990 to 2001, along with details of the gift-giving foreign dignitaries and countries.

Justice Asim Hafeez observed that nothing about the Toshakhana gifts should be hidden from the nation.

An assistant attorney general opposed the court's order, saying the federal government would file an appeal against it.

The judge replied the government had a right to appeal the decision.

Justice Hafeez further observed that under the law, no one can retain a gift from Toshakhana without making a payment.

With these observations the judge disposed of a petition, filed in December, seeking details of gifts received by politicians and bureaucrats from foreign dignitaries since the country's inception.

The federal government had earlier told the court that the Toshakhana record had been made public from 2002 to date.

The assistant attorney general had placed a report before the LHC, saying the government had placed a 466-page record of the Toshakhana on the cabinet division's website.

However, the government withheld the names of countries and dignitaries concerned, taking a plea that the information would harm relations with other states.

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