Families of bigwigs collected gifts worth Rs260m.

ISLAMABAD -- Family members of politicians, bureaucrats and retired generals pocketed foreign gifts worth over Rs260 million from Toshakhana, either for free or after making paltry payments amounting to Rs56.7m over the past 20 years, according to the details released by the government.

A careful review of the 446-page document reveals that a sizeable number of family members of these public office holders were among those who collected precious gifts from the Toshsakhana after depositing a meagre amount in the national exchequer.

Of the top 10 figures whose families kept the most expensive gifts in terms of value, four - Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, Nawaz Sharif, Mamnoon Hussain and Ahsan Iqbal - belong to PML-N.

The family members of PTI chairman Imran Khan, President Dr Arif Alvi, former premier Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani, former military ruler Pervez Musharraf and ex-premier Shaukat Aziz, besides retired Brig Waseem Iftikhar Cheema, former military secretary to the prime minister, are among the beneficiaries.

Four out of the top 10 personalities whose family members retained Toshakhana gifts belong to ruling PML-N

The list shows that family members of Shahid Khaqan Abbasi top the list as they retained gifts worth Rs123.4m after depositing Rs24.6m in the national kitty. Besides the wife of Mr Abbasi, his two sons - Nadir Khaqan Abbasi and Abdullah Khaqan Abbasi - also retained two wristwatches with the collective worth of Rs22.5m after paying merely Rs4.48m.

Ex-president Mamnoon Hussain's family members - wife, daughter and son - retained gifts worth Rs31.1m by paying only Rs6.2m for them, according to the record. In June 2015, the then first lady obtained 'one necklace, one pair of earrings, a bracelet and a ring', all made of gold and diamond, which were valued at Rs29.9m for which she paid Rs5.8m only. Only a month ago, she had got a similar set of jewellery worth Rs1.92m and paid only Rs216,482.

Similarly, Sehba Musharraf, the wife of Gen Musharraf, kept foreign gifts worth...