Islamabad, 13 March 2023 (GNP): The Pakistani Government has announced that it will make the 21-year record of the Toshakhana (Gift House/ Gift Repository) public. This decision was taken in line with the government’s efforts to promote transparency and accountability in the country.
The decision to make the 21-year record of Toshakhana (Gift House /Gift Repository) public was taken on the directives of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif . The record includes details of all the gifts and other items that have been received by high-ranking officials of the government over the past 21 years.
This move by the government is being hailed as a significant step towards promoting transparency and accountability in the country. The decision to make the Toshakhana (Gift House/ Gift Repository) record public will enable citizens to know how their tax money is being spent and will help to prevent corruption and mismanagement.
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The record indicates that former President Gen (retd) Pervez Musharraf, along with former Prime Ministers Shaukat Aziz, Yousuf Raza Gilani, Nawaz Sharif, Raja Parvaiz Ashraf, and Imran Khan are among the recipients listed. Additionally, the Toshakhana records of current Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and President Dr. Arif Alvi have also been made available.
The record includes the gifts received by federal ministers, senior officials, and civil servants.
As per the law, most of the low-value gifts were kept by the recipients without any payment. This was permissible until 2022, where gifts worth less than Rs10,000 could be retained without payment.
For gifts with a value ranging between Rs10,000 and Rs400,000, the recipients were allowed to keep them after paying 15% of their value.
Gifts with a value exceeding Rs400,000 could only be retained by the President or the Head of Government.
Gen (retd) Pervez Musharraf
As per the records, it was disclosed that the worth of the presents bestowed upon ex-military ruler Gen (retd) Pervez Musharraf in 2004 exceeded Rs6.5 million. One of the gifts, a watch given to him in 2005, was priced at Rs500,000. Various valuable watches, jewelry boxes, and other gifts were given to the former president, which he kept after making the necessary payment. In 2003, his wife, Sehba Musharraf, was presented with a jewelry box valued at more than Rs2.6 million.
On April 6, 2006, gifts amounting to Rs1.65 million were bestowed upon her, Rs3.4 million on August 1, 2007. Additionally, on April 3, 2007, she was given gifts worth more than Rs10 million. On January 31, 2007, Musharraf was presented with gifts worth Rs1.4 million.
Shaukat Aziz
In 2005, a watch worth Rs850,000 was given to former prime minister Shaukat Aziz, which was later auctioned off for Rs355,000. He had kept various gifts by claiming their value to be below Rs10,000. On September 27, 2007, Aziz received a watch worth Rs1.35 million.
He also received gifts worth Rs3.7 million on December 20, 2006, which he decided to retain. During 2006, he returned some gifts to the Toshakhana. On June 2, 2006, a watch worth Rs1.35 million was presented to Aziz, and on January 7, 2007, he received gifts valued at Rs1.8 million. However, on February 24, 2010, he returned a watch worth Rs1.2 million to the Toshakhana.
Zafarullah Jamali
A model of the Holy Kaaba, which was presented to the former Prime Minister Zafarullah Jamali as a gift, was installed at the Prime Minister’s House.
Asif Ali Zardari
The former president Asif Ali Zardari was presented with a watch on December 2, 2008, valued at Rs500,000, which he decided to retain. He later received two BMW vehicles—one costing Rs57.8 million and the other Rs27.3 million—on January 26, 2009. He also received a Toyota Lexus valued at Rs. 50 million. Zardari paid a total of Rs16.1 million for the Toyota Lexus and the first BMW, which he decided to keep.
The other BMW automobile, which cost Rs27.3 million and was worth Rs4 million to him, was also maintained. He paid Rs158,250 for a watch that was valued Rs1 million in March 2011 and kept it.
Yousuf Raza Gillani
In December 2009, Fauzia Gilani, the wife of former prime minister Yousuf Raza Gilani, chose to keep a jewelry set valued at Rs2 million by paying Rs326,043 for it.
Raja Pervaiz Ashraf
Raja Pervaiz Ashraf, a former prime minister, paid Rs218,000 to keep a Graff wristwatch in November 2012 that was worth Rs890,000.
Nawaz Sharif
In April 2008, former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif kept a Mercedes Benz worth Rs4.2 million by paying Rs636,888. In November 2013, he retained a Rolex wristwatch worth Rs1.18 million by paying Rs243,000. In January 2015, he kept a Piaget wristwatch worth Rs1 million by paying Rs240,000.
Subsequently, in January 2016, he held onto a Christopher Claret watch, a ring worth Rs19.5 million, and a pair of cufflinks worth Rs16 million, for which he paid Rs7.6 million. In the same month, his wife Kulsoom Nawaz retained a bracelet worth Rs12.7 million and a necklace with earrings valued at Rs41.6 million by paying Rs10.8 million.
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Additionally, in February 2016, Nawaz retained a Dela Cour watch worth Rs3.2 million, a ring worth Rs8 million, and a pair of cufflinks worth Rs5 million by paying Rs3.2 million. In October 2016, he held onto a Rolex watch valued at Rs1.2 million and another Rolex watch worth Rs850,000, for which he paid Rs469,000.
In March 2017, his son Hussain Nawaz retained a Rolex watch valued at Rs940,000 by paying Rs186,000. Moreover, Nawaz kept a diamond necklace worth Rs1 million by paying Rs207,560. Finally, in May 2017, Nawaz retained a Rolex watch worth Rs4 million by paying Rs808,000.
Shahid Khaqan Abbasi
n October 2017, former prime minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi held onto a Hublot wristwatch worth Rs15 million, a pair of cufflinks worth Rs1.2 million, a pen valued at Rs1.5 million, a ring worth Rs3 million, and prayer beads worth Rs1.85 million by paying Rs4.5 million.
Additionally, his wife Sameena Shahid retained a jewelry set worth Rs99 million by paying Rs19.99 million in the same month. In November 2017, Abbasi held onto a Rolex watch boxset valued at Rs23 million by paying Rs4.59 million. Finally, in April 2018, he retained a Rolex wristwatch worth Rs25 million by paying Rs5.27 million.
Imran Khan
Former prime minister Imran Khan kept a Graff wristwatch valued at Rs85 million, a pair of cufflinks worth Rs5.6 million, a pen costing Rs1.5 million, and a ring worth Rs8.75 million in September 2018, paying a total of Rs20 million for them. Additionally, he kept a Rolex watch worth Rs3.8 million in October 2018 for which he paid Rs754,000, and another Rolex watch worth Rs1.5 million for which he paid Rs294,000.
In November 2018, he kept another Rolex wristwatch worth Rs900,000, paying Rs338,600. In October 2019, he retained a watch worth Rs1.9 million, paying Rs935,000. In September 2020, he held onto another Rolex watch worth Rs4.4 million by paying Rs2.4 million.
Furthermore, in the same month, his wife Bushra Bibi kept a necklace worth Rs10 million, a bracelet worth Rs2.4 million, a ring costing Rs2.8 million, and a pair of earrings valued at Rs1.85 million, paying Rs9 million for all the jewelry.
Arif Alvi
In October 2019, Samina Alvi, the wife of President Dr Arif Alvi, kept a necklace valued at Rs1.19 million by paying Rs865,000. Furthermore, in February 2022, President Alvi retained a Rolex watch worth Rs2.5 million by paying Rs1.2 million.
