Shah Mahmood Qureshi had set up a good precedent by depositing those gifts in the state treasury which he was given during his recent visit to Saudi Arabia which amounted to Rs 63 lakhs.In the distant past this used to be the common practice which was later on discarded,particularly,after 1970.The rules are that if any Pakistani dignitary during his official visit abroad is presented any gift by the host country he would declare it on his return home and get it deposited in the state bank.The government would appoint a committee to evaluate and fix its market value and ask its recipient to deposit the same into government treasury after which he can take it to his home.If he refuses to pay the fixed amount the gift is then put to open auction and its sale proceeds are deposited in government treasury.It is in the evidence that in the recent past a majority of our senior bureaucrats ,ministers,prime ministers and presidents on their foreign tours got costly gifts which they never declared on their return and got away with this illegality.The wife of one of our former prime minister was gifted a costly necklace by the First Lady of the host country which she was going to gobble up but for a news item that spilled the beans thus forcing her to deposit it in the treasury.
It is a pity that these rules have always been more honoured in the breach than in the observance.It is about time that the present rulers set up precedents like the one set up by our foreign minister.The media too should keep a strict vigil on the foreign visits of those who move in the corridors of power and nothing should be hidden from the public about the nature of gifts given to them by the host countries during the course of their visits.
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