ISLAMABAD: The federal government has introduced Toshakhana rules requiring public auctions of state gifts, with proceeds funding girls’ education in underdeveloped areas.
The Cabinet Division’s Toshakhana Management and Regulation Rules 2026 generally cover both existing holdings and newly received gifts. They exclude culturally, historically or diplomatically sensitive items from sale.
Auctions must take place at least annually, preferably twice a year. Government officials and their families cannot bid. The rules permit live media coverage.
A committee chaired by the Cabinet secretary decides which gifts to sell or preserve. Its members include additional secretaries from the finance, foreign affairs, law and culture divisions.
The regulations require third-party audits of all gifts at the end of each financial year. The government must publish gift records and photographs online, without identifying donors or their countries.
Officials other than the president and prime minister should avoid accepting gifts. Those who accept them for diplomatic protocol must deposit them with the Toshakhana.
Recipients generally have 30 days to deposit gifts, counted from their return to Pakistan for items received during foreign visits. Gifts arriving separately carry a 60-day deadline.
Read: New Toshakhana Records Reveal Gifts Received by Top Leaders in Late 2025
The Federal Board of Revenue and a registered valuer assess each gift’s market value. If their assessments differ by more than 25%, a third valuer’s assessment becomes final.
Artificial intelligence may provide a valuation reference. Pakistan Ordnance Factories, Wah, handles weapons received as gifts. Employees in grades one to four may retain cash awards, subject to the rules.
An officer of at least Grade 20 must oversee safekeeping. The storage room must have closed-circuit television surveillance and adequate locks.
