Politics
The federal government has further tightened the Toshakhana rules and issued a notification enforcing new regulations. The Cabinet Division has issued the notification for the Toshakhana Management and Regulation Rules 2026,
The federal government has further tightened the Toshakhana rules and issued a notification enforcing new regulations. The Cabinet Division has issued the notification for the Toshakhana Management and Regulation Rules 2026, under which the acceptance of gifts by officials other than the President and Prime Minister will be discouraged. All gifts currently held in or newly received by Toshakhana will be auctioned, while the proceeds from the auctions will be spent on girls’ education in underdeveloped areas.
According to the notification, all gifts received by Toshakhana during each financial year will undergo a third-party audit. All gifts will be sold through open public auctions, while culturally, historically and diplomatically sensitive gifts will not be auctioned. Auctions will preferably be held twice a year and at least once a year. Government officials and their family members will not be allowed to participate in the auctions. The auctions will also receive direct media coverage.
Under the new rules, a committee headed by the Cabinet Secretary will be established to make decisions regarding gifts. Additional secretaries from the Finance, Foreign Affairs, Law and Culture divisions will be members of the committee. The committee will determine which gifts should be auctioned and which have historical significance. If accepting a gift is unavoidable due to diplomatic protocol, it must be deposited with Toshakhana within 30 days. In the case of foreign visits, gifts must be deposited within 30 days of returning to Pakistan, while gifts arriving on a separate aircraft will have a 60-day deadline. Employees in Grades 1 to 4 will be allowed to retain cash awards. Failure to deposit a gift within the prescribed period will result in a complaint being filed in court.
According to the notification, the market value of gifts will be determined by the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) and private appraisers. If there is a difference of more than 25 percent between the two valuations, the opinion of a third appraiser will be considered final. Artificial intelligence (AI) may also be used as a reference for determining prices, while the value of weapons will be determined by Pakistan Ordnance Factories (POF), The responsibility for safeguarding the gifts will be assigned to a Grade-20 officer. CCTV surveillance and secure locking arrangements have been made mandatory in the Toshakhana storeroom. The records and photographs of all gifts will be published on a web portal. However, the name of the person who presented the gift and the country of origin will not be disclosed on the portal.
