Law officer tells court govt to enact law to make transactions transparent LA HORE: The federal government on Thursday told the Lahore High Court that the details of the Toshakhana articles since 2002 were being declassified and will soon be available online.

However, a federal law officer explained to the court that the details of the buyers/retainers of the Toshakhana gifts would be uploaded on the government`s website after being declassified.

`The names of the foreign dignitaries who gave the gifts would not be disclosed,` he said.

Cabinet Secretary Eazaz Aslam Dar was also present in the court as Justice Asim Hafeez heard a petition seeking complete details of Toshakhana gifts received by political rulers and bureaucrats from foreign dignitaries since the creation of Pakistan.

Asked about the availability of the Toshakhana record before 2002, an additional attorney general told the judge that the record relating to the period from 1947 to 2002 was not computerised.

Petitioner`s counsel Azhar Siddique said the government did not want to present the complete record for mala fide intention.

The judge observed that things did not change overnight.

However, the judge directed the law officer to also submit the sealed record of the remaining period in his chamber along with the names of the foreign dignitaries who donated the gifts.

The law officer further told the court that the government was going to introduce legislation to make the transactions and the record of the Toshakhana articles more transparent.

Lauding the government`s intention to make the things transparent, Justice Hafeez said the court would also look into the matter.

The judge adjourned further hearing till March 13.

A section officer of the cabinet division had on Feb 21 produced the sealed record of the Toshakhana articles from 2002 onwards.

At a previous hearing, a report filed by the cabinet division revealed that the prime minister`s office, through a notification issued on Nov 26, 2015, had declared that information pertaining to the Toshakhana gifts was classified and 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.` WAJIH AHMADSHFJKH