ISLAMABAD: The federal government on Sunday declassified the Toshakhana gifts records since 2002 for the first time in the history of the country.
A 446-page Toshakhana gifts’ record from 2002 to March 2023 has been released, which included details of the Toshakhana gifts of the prime ministers, presidents, and federal ministers. During the current year, the incumbent government received 59 gifts.
According to the Toshakhana records released by the federal government, 224 gifts were received in Toshakhana last year, 116 gifts in 2021, 175 gifts in 2018, and some 91 gifts in 2014, while government officials received 177 gifts in 20gd to make the details and records of Toshakhana.
The names that appeared in the published Toshakhan records included Pervez Musharraf, Shaukat Aziz, Yousaf Raza Gillani, Nawaz Sharif, Imran Khan, Arif Alvi, and Shehbaz Sharif, among others.
Defence Minister Khawaja Asif took to Twitter, stating: “The cabinet has allowed declassification of Toshakhana record. It will soon be posted on the website of the cabinet division”.
Federal cabinet approves publishing Toshakhana record
The federal cabinet has approved publishing the ‘secretive’ record of gifts received by public office holders from foreign governments and dignitaries.
Earlier this year, the federal government had informed the Lahore High Court (LHC) that public disclosure of Toshakhana gifts details could cause unnecessary media hype and potentially damage Pakistan’s foreign relations. However, the court remarked that it would hold off on making details of the Toshakhana gifts public until satisfied that these gifts were kept secret.
Last month, Prime Minister Mohammad Shehbaz Sharif announced the government’s plans to publicize the entire record. He also barred government officials from retaining gifts worth more than $300.
Established in 1978, the Toshakhana is the department tasked with storing gifts the prime minister and other high-ranking officials received. All the public officeholders, including bureaucrats and parliamentarians, are bound to report the gifts to the Cabinet Division.
Successive governments have resisted the efforts to publicize its record. The previous Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf government said the move could damage national interest and relations with other states.
Toshakhana remained in the limelight over widespread allegations that several rulers took home gifts received from foreign states. The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has also disqualified Imran Khan for not disclosing the gifts in his assets details.
