Toshakhana record shows PM deposited over three dozen gifts

The Cabinet Division has published its Toshakhana record for July to September 2026, showing that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif deposited more than three dozen gifts during the quarter, among them a box holding 1,000 grams of fine gold received from Kyrgyzstan.

Geo News reported that the gold was deposited on September 8 and that the prime minister received it during an official visit to Kyrgyzstan from August 31 to September 2. The Cabinet Division said all gifts received by the prime minister during foreign visits had been deposited in the Toshakhana and that their valuation was still being determined.

The two outlets carrying the list gave different totals for the prime minister. Geo News said he deposited more than three dozen gifts; ProPakistani reported 34 entries in his name, including three Rolex watches and one Patek Philippe watch. Geo News's account of the prime minister's gifts listed a handmade silk carpet, a shield, a plate, a tie, a set of cufflinks, calligraphy, a model of Roza-e-Rasool, two wool and silk carpets, a painting, a wall hanging, a glass decoration from Belarus, a wooden plate, a model of the Bangladesh Supreme Court, a ceramic vase, two scarves, four bottles of olive oil, soaps and oud perfume, a model car, a Kyrgyz-style blanket, a ceremonial vase, books, a crystal shield, a bronze vase, a handkerchief, two sets of prayer beads, six cups with saucers and a table clock.

President Asif Ali Zardari deposited seven gifts, according to Geo News: two carpets, an archery set, a musical instrument, a Faisal Mosque frame, a chess set and a decoration piece.

ProPakistani reported that Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar received 25 gifts, including three Rolex watches and a Patek Philippe Nautilus, and that IT Minister Shaza Fatima Khawaja received eight, among them two Rolex Lady Datejust watches, two jewellery sets and boxes of dates and perfume. It listed seven gifts each for Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, Syed Naveed Qamar and Rana Tanveer Hussain. Geo News said Information Minister Attaullah Tarar, Economic Affairs Minister Ahad Cheema, Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb, Railways Minister Hanif Abbasi and senior officials also received gifts that were deposited in the Toshakhana.

The government notified the Toshakhana (Management and Regulation) Rules, 2026 in September. Under the rules, all gifts held in the Toshakhana are to be disposed of through open auction by the Cabinet Division with the approval of a committee headed by the Federal Secretary of the Cabinet Division. Recipients must declare and deposit a gift within 30 days of receiving it, or within 30 days of returning to Pakistan after a foreign visit, and within 60 days where the gift has to be shipped separately.

Except the head of state and the head of government, public office-holders and private persons forming part of official delegations are discouraged from accepting gifts for themselves or their families. Where a gift cannot be declined for diplomatic or cultural reasons, it must be deposited in the Toshakhana. Proceeds of the auctions are to be kept in a separate account and used for promoting female primary education in the country's most backward areas.