Toshakhana details out: Mercedes Benz, Rolex, gold necklaces among gifts Pakistan’s public office bearers kept for themselves

The Toshakhana is a Pakistan government department that deals with the gifts given to public office bearers during their foreign visits. From Presidents and Prime Ministers to the drivers of Cabinet members are required to declare their gifts which are recorded along with their estimated price. The practice came under scrutiny recently after a case was filed against ousted Prime Minister Imran Khan, accusing him of not making public the value of the gifts he received while holding office.

The list showed that Khan was hardly alone in benefitting from the rules that guide the purchase of gifts from the official state registry. Leaders, including former president Asif Ali Zardari, former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and his wife Kulsoom Nawaz, former Prime Minister Pervez Musharraf, Finance Minister Ishaq Dar, and Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari have all purchased gifts from the official registry often for free or at a much lower cost.

Here are some of the key findings from the document.

Imran Khan: The cricketer-turned-politician received as many as 101 gifts during his tenure as the Pakistan Prime Minister, as per the records released. Of this, he has retained gifts worth at least PKR 100 million by Sept 24, 2018, paying only PKR 20 million to the Toshkana, as per records. The gift he kept with himself include a diamond watch worth PKR 85 million, a pair of cufflinks worth PKR 5.6 million, a ring worth PKR 8.75 million and a pen worth PKR 1.5 million. He also kept several Rolex watches, including one priced at PKR 1.5 million by paying PKR 294,000 in October 2018. Khan also retained gifts like Dolce & Gabba and Bvlgari LE Gemme perfumes, iPhone, Mont Blanc pen, a model of a mosque, and bottles of attar, among others.

Asif Ali Zardari: The former President, who is also the father of sitting Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, received 181 recorded gifts during his tenure, many of which he retained free of cost. The gifts retained by him include boxes of memorabilia, books, vases etc. He also retained a BMW 760 Li (Security version) priced at PKR 57 million and a Toyota Lexus LX 470 (Security version) priced at PKR 50 million by paying PKR 16 million overall in January 2009. This was among the most expensive presents retained by a public office holder, as per an analysis in Dawn.

Nawaz Sharif: Former PM Sharif and his wife Kulsoom Nawaz received 65 gifts and retained several of the most expensive ones, including a Mercedes Benz car priced at PKR 4.2 million, which Sharif retained by paying PKR 636,888. Among the gifts, the couple retained is a Piaget watch worth PKR 1.05 million, a Dela Cour watch costing PKR 3.2 million, a Chopard watch, several gold and pearl necklaces, diamond cufflinks and gold rings. On Feb 13, 2016, for instance, Sharif retained gifts worth PKR 16.25 million, paying a mere PKR 3.288 million to the Treasury.