The Right to Information (RTI) is a constitutional right to access information from government and private bodies that receive public funds. However, the PTI government has raised concerns by not disclosing details of the gifts given to the prime minister.
The presents from foreign notables and dignitaries given to senior state and government officials must be deposited in the ‘Toshakhana’ depository. The political elite is allowed to retain them after paying a portion of their value or they are auctioned to officers of the federal government and armed forces. Antique items are not allowed to be auctioned and must be displayed publically.
The PTI government is reluctant to disclose gifts received by the prime minister in the past three years. The Cabinet Division – which controls the gift depository – rejected an order by the Pakistan Information Commission and challenged them in court. It stated that the disclosure could jeopardize ties with friendly countries and did not fall under the Right to Information Act.
The government should come clean if it has nothing to hide. The leaders of two opposition parties are facing cases related to the Toshakhana and the details are shared with the courts. Former President Asif Zardari is facing a NAB reference for illegally retaining expensive vehicles. Former prime ministers Shahid Khaqan Abbasi and Yusuf Raza Gillani are also facing similar cases. The reluctance by the government could create a new unnecessary controversy for the government.
The Punjab government is also withholding details of the vehicles used by chief minister Usman Buzdar. It took nine months to respond to the information request and then turned it down over privacy concerns. Such actions could jeopardise the image of the PTI government which claims transparency and accountability in all matters.
In 2018, it was revealed that gifts in the depository are retained by the political and bureaucratic elite on highly subsidised rates or are under-valued. The matter was challenged in the court which had stopped their scheduled auction. It is imperative that the government should disclose the gifts which friendly nations presented to the prime minister or other leaders rather than creating a mountain of a molehill.
