Gifts received by dignitaries: Govt refuses to divulge information to Senate

Says such disclosure may create media hype; damage interests of Pakistan; Raza Rabbani reserves ruling on allotment of lands to public functionaries on retirement; orders probe into PIA plane sale to Germany without tender

ISLAMABAD: The government declined Wednesday to share information with the Senate about Pakistani dignitaries who received gifts during their official visits abroad in the last three years and their present status, saying such disclosure may create media hype and be potentially damage the interests of Pakistan in the conduct of world relations.

Citing Section 15(1) of the Freedom of Information Ordinance, 2002, minister in-charge of the Cabinet Division said in a written reply during the question hour that the information pertaining to Toshakhana was covered under the law, as the gifts were exchanged between the heads of the states and heads of governments to give personal touch to inter-state relations.

“Such gifts are reflective of the interest and persona of the parties to the gift. Disclosure of such information may create media hype and thus be potentially damaging to the interest of Pakistan in the conduct of international relations,” he said.

The ruling PML-N’s Kalsoom Perveen had asked two questions: the names of Pak dignitaries, who received gifts during their official visits abroad in last three years, indicating also the details of the gifts and present status thereof in each case; and the names of dignitaries, who retained those gifts on payment basis indicating also the value of the gift and payment made in each case?

The minister pointed out that under Rule 5 of the Government Servants (Conduct) Rules, 1964, no government servant shall, except with the previous sanction of the government, accept or permit any member of his family to accept, from any person any gift, the receipt of which will place him under any form of official obligation to the donor. If, however, due to very exceptional reasons, a gift could not be refused, the same might, under intimation to the Cabinet Division, be kept for official use in the Department or Organisation in which he was working if any gift was offered by the head or representative of a foreign state, the government servant concerned should attempt to avoid acceptance of such a gift, if he could do so without giving offence.

“If, however, due to very exceptional reasons, a gift cannot be refused, it should be invariably be deposited in the Toshakhana. All gifts received by a government servant, irrespective of their prices, must be reported to the Toshakhana in the Cabinet Division. However, the responsibility for reporting to the Cabinet Division receipt of gifts, including the names of recipients, from foreign dignitaries or delegations, who come to Pakistan or when Pakistan dignitaries or delegations go abroad, shall lie with the chief of protocol or his representative in the former case and with the ambassador or concerned in the latter case,” he noted.

Syed Tahir Hussain Mashhadi of the MQM, PTI’s Muhammad Azam Swati and Dr Jehanzeb Jamaldeni agitated on ‘far lesser’ number of Grade-22 officers in the list of Pakistan Administrative Service (PAS), as there was just one officer, Federal Secretary Kashmir Affairs Pir Bakhsh Jamali from Balochistan and 16 from Sindh, 15 from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, two from AJK and 51 from Punjab, and there was none from Fata.

Parliamentary Affairs Minister Sheikh Aftab Ahmad told the House that the Federation was not at all meting out injustice to any one and that the prime minister-head promotion board looked after the officers in Grade-21-22. He did not agree with the senators that step-motherly treatment was being meted out to the smaller provinces and that the recruiting agency was biased towards the smaller provinces.

Minister for Commerce Khurram Dastagir said that it was not a fact that large number of industrial units special textile units had been closed and pointed out that eight companies were delisted in July-December 2015-16 and 14 in July-December 2014-15, while seven textile companies were delisted during this period.

Meanwhile, Chairman Senate Mian Raza Rabbani reserved his ruling on the issue of allotment of lands to public functionaries on their retirement as reward for their services rendered, as it was proposed the matter may be discussed in the concerned House panel.

On a point of public importance in the House, the PPP Senator Farhatullah Babar raised the issue of allotment of lands to public functionaries on their retirement. 

“The issue involved a number of questions including whether such allotments were governed by legislation or rules and regulations, who framed those rules and when, the application of the rules in the past and whether the application of such rules in the future need to be streamlined,” he said. 

There also was the question, he noted, of who among the retired senior officials were entitled to this extraordinary privilege. 

“The issue is both sensitive and important,” he said and called for its examination in a relevant committee of the Senate which may discuss it in camera if it so deemed,” he said. He contended as these allotments were claimed to be made under the law and regulations, it was important that these were also examined in a holistic manner in the legislature. “It would be in the interest of everyone if there was transparency and the procedure was reviewed by the Parliament,” he siad.

On this, Raza Rabbani reserved his ruling saying that he would consider how best to proceed with post-retirement benefits to public officials in a holistic manner.

Senator Babar drew attention of the House towards what he said kidnapping and unlawful confinement of two teenagers by Islamabad Police last Sunday and who were later recovered from a local police station. He noted the police at first denied any knowledge but when the relatives of one of the teenager using high tech traced from the mobile telephone his location, they were found in a police station. Terming it a serious incident, the chairman Senate referred it to the Human Rights Committee of the Senate with direction to investigate and report on it during the next session of the Senate.

The senators criticised the management of national flag carrier Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) for selling out a PIA plane to someone in Germany by its German-national chief executive officer without floating any tender.

Speaking on a point of public importance, Senator Saleem Mandviwala of the PPP made revelation about rampant mismanagement within the cash-starved PIA, saying a running plane was flown out to Germany by its crew members and sold out to a German national at a throwaway price of Rs7 million.

“I came to know about this from the pilots of PIA who are ready to testify before the court or anywhere else: a running plane was sold out without any tender by the PIA management. This is a unique case as such things happen nowhere in the world,” he added.

Interestingly, the PML-N Senator Mushahidullah Khan also seconded Mandviwala, saying he had also a lot about the issue, and called for a thorough probe into the matter to pinpoint those behind the scandal. Mushahidullah has been serving in the PIA.

The Senate chairman referred the issue to Parliamentary Committee on PIA headed by Senator Mushahidullah Khan to probe the matter and report back to the House by next session.

Sheikh Aftab said the plane was sold out after no party showed up in the tendering process. He claimed Germany wanted to keep the plane in a museum.

This prompted chairman Senate to inquire whether the plane had ever remained in use of Hitler that Germany wanted was keen to display it in the museum. The question raised by Rabbani left the minister with no option but to disclose that an inquiry had been ordered into it, which would conclude its findings within a month.

Senator Saleh Shah from Fata raised the issue of census form, which according to him, was completely flawed, as the authorities had mentioned that if a person was away from home for education, job or any other purpose, he/she would not be counted as member of that family. Rabbani referred the issue to concerned committee of the House.