The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government has withdrawn a letter written for the acquisition of the ancestral house of Islamabad High Court Justice Miangul Hassan Aurangzeb after the intervention of the federal government, reported The Express Tribune.
The same judge is hearing the federal government's petition against the Pakistan Information Commission (PIC) order to give details of the gifts received by Prime Minister Imran Khan from abroad. Last month, during a hearing of the case, the judge had remarked that the gifts should be displayed in museums.
On October 21, the K-P Archaeology and Museum Department director wrote a letter to the land acquisition collector and deputy commissioner of Swat about the department's intention to purchase the family house of Justice Aurangzeb in Swat so that it could be turned into a museum.
In the letter, the department stated that as the grandson of the former ruler of Swat, Justice Aurangzeb's ancestral home had cultural value and was a heritage site, which could help in promoting tourism.
It requested the relevant departments to help them acquire the land under section four of Land Acquisition Act 1894.
However, on Nov 17, the provincial government wrote another letter to the authorities concerned revoking the previous request.
It is pertinent to mention that the Cabinet Division had challenged the Pakistan Information Commission (PIC) order seeking details of gifts presented to Prime Minister Imran Khan since assuming office in 2018.
The Cabinet Division, in its petition to the IHC, claimed that the PIC order demanding disclosure of any information related to Toshakhana would jeopardise international relations, calling it “illegal, without lawful authority”.
