‘PTI chief could face disqualification for hiding Toshakhana gifts’

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Institute of Legislative Development and Transparency (PILDAT) President Ahmed Bilal Mehboob claimed on Thursday that Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief could face five-year disqualification for hiding Toshakhana gifts, ARY News reported.

While talking to the ARY News programme ‘Bakhabar Savera’, PILDAT President Ahmed Bilal Mehboob said that it is legal to receive gifts from Toshakhana but the PTI chief kept the gifts with him after amending the law.

“It cannot be legally justified to hide gifts. India has a similar method [regarding Toshakhana gifts] to Pakistan while the value of the gifts is quite low in the developed countries.”

Read: Toshakhana details reveal Asif Zardari received gifts worth $1.5m

“It is a crime to receive gifts of more than the prescribed value. He [PTI chief] could face five-year disqualification for hiding the gifts.”

Mehboob suggested imposing a ban on receiving gifts exceeding the prescribed value. The PILDAT chief said that several countries devised different laws regarding the Toshakhana gifts.

He added that the details of all Toshakhana gifts should be made public to make people aware of the beneficiaries.

The PILDAT president said the rulers were hiding the gifts until the court ordered to publicise the Toshakhana records, making disclosures about the seven heads of the state.

Read: Govt declassifies Toshakhana records

He added that former president Asif Ali Zardari was named on top of the list who enjoyed benefits worth $1.5 million equivalent to an average of $0.3 million per year in terms of Toshakhana gifts during his five-year tenure.

Ahmed Bilal Mehboob said that the PTI chairman was the second ruler who received benefits worth $0.72 million equivalent to 0.19 million per year.

The Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) supremo has received gifts from Toshakhana worth $0.52 million.

Furthermore, former PM Shaukat Aziz paid received Toshakhana gifts worth $0.38 million, and the annual average of gifts received by PM Shehbaz Sharif is $7600.