EDITORIAL: Why is the government so reluctant to share details about gifts received by the prime minister from other heads of state, governments, etc.? And what on earth led it to believe that "disclosure of such information (is) potentially damaging (for) the interests of the country in the conduct of international relations"? Even if the legality of the issue, which for some reason the government has called into question, is put aside for a while, Imran Khan himself ought to be embarrassed by the statements of some of his staunchest supporters in the cabinet division since he practically went to town on an earlier reference filed against the leadership of two major opposition parties based on information provided by the Toshakhana. He even waxed eloquent about the need for transparency in the matter of gifts to heads of state, and gave the example of the "Israeli police, not opposition" investigating their prime minister because he took gifts from visiting dignitaries.
It is, as a matter of constitutional fact, very much the right of the people to have transparent and up-to-date information about any personal gifts their representatives take in their name. And any attempts to complicate such matters by employing legal spin on them are actually contrary to the spirit of democracy. The PTI (Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf) government, especially, was expected to set a welcome example in this regard because of all its promises about "Westminster-style democracy" and all that in the run-up to, and even after, the 2018 election. Disclosing gifts received from foreign dignitaries, which is pretty much the norm all over the world, should be a regular feature of running the affairs of the state. Besides, why would anybody want to keep such information under wraps, unless of course they have something to hide?
Copyright Business Recorder, 2021
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