Govt makes 21-year record of Toshakhana public.

ISLAMABAD -- The federal government has made the 466-page record of Toshakhana (gift depository) from 2002 to 2023 public by uploading it on the official website of the Cabinet Division.

The move was made on the instructions of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.

The recipients of the gifts from foreign dignitaries include former presidents, prime ministers, federal ministers and government officials.

According to the record, the names of former president Gen (retd) Pervez Musharraf, former prime ministers Shaukat Aziz, Yousuf Raza Gilani, Nawaz Sharif, Raja Parvaiz Ashraf and Imran Khan are included among the recipient. The Toshakhana records of incumbent Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and President Dr Arif Alvi have also been uploaded.

Apart from the premiers, the record of gifts received by federal ministers, senior officials and civil servants has also been made public.

Most of the gifts of low value were kept by the recipients without payment according to the law.

Until 2022, the law was to retain gifts worth less than Rs10,000 without payment.

Gifts ranging between Rs10,000 and Rs400,000 were allowed to be retained after paying 15% of their value.

Gifts valued over Rs400,000 were allowed to be retained only by the president or the head of government.

Gen (retd) Pervez Musharraf

According to the record, the value of the gifts given to former military ruler Gen (retd) Pervez Musharraf in 2004 was revealed to be more than Rs6.5 million.

The price of the watch given to Musharraf in 2005 was said to be Rs500,000.

The former president received dozens of valuable watches, jewellery boxes, and other gifts, which he had retained after paying the required amount.

His wife, Sehba Musharraf, received a jewellery box valued at over Rs2.6 million in 2003.

She received gifts to the tune of Rs1.65 million on April 6, 2006.

On August 1, 2007, the value of the gifts she received stood at Rs3.4 million.

On April 3, 2007, she received gifts worth over Rs10 million.

On January 31, 2007, Musharraf received gifts valued at Rs1.4 million.

Shaukat Aziz

In the year 2005, former prime minister Shaukat Aziz received a watch worth Rs850,000 that was auctioned off for Rs355,000.

He had kept several gifts by showing their value to be below Rs10,000.

On September 27, 2007, Aziz received a watch worth Rs1.35 million.

On December 20, 2006, he received gifts worth Rs3.7 million - which he decided to keep.

During 2006, he returned several gifts to the Toshakhana.

On June 2...

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