Musharraf's 'expensive gifts', still a mystery

Islamabad, Dec 27: According to a latest report by the Auditor General of Pakistan (AGP), the government has no record of the 'expensive gifts' received by former President General Pervez Musharraf and Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz during 2006-07.

The audit report for 2007-08 shows that the Cabinet Division has not been provided with appropriate information on the expensive gifts the officials received over the year.

Dignitaries receive plenty of gifts during international visits, and it is the responsibility of the Pakistani ambassador or the head of the Pakistani mission in that country to report the receipt of gifts through the Foreign Ministry.

The protocol mentions that the gifts received by delegations during foreign visits are 'assets of the government'. But it seems that during the military regime of Musharraf the 'expensive gifts' were considered as private possessions.

"The gifts given to Pakistani delegations during foreign visits are 'assets of the government'," the Daily Times reported the AGP's latest report, as saying.

And now, that there is no list of gifts available with the Pak authorities Musharraf and Aziz and other dignitaries can proudly showcase their 'private possessions' in their living rooms.

ANI