Islamabad: More details of gifts received by top state officials have been made public as the Cabinet Division released the Toshakhana record for the October–December 2025 quarter. The disclosure is part of the federal government’s continued effort to ensure transparency regarding gifts received by public officeholders during official engagements.
According to the Cabinet Division, all personalities who received gifts during this three-month period deposited them in the Toshakhana in accordance with prevailing rules. With the release of the latest data, the government has further expanded public access to Toshakhana records, a move officials say reflects a commitment to openness and accountability.
The official documents reveal that a wide range of senior political leaders and government functionaries were among the recipients of gifts during the October–December 2025 quarter. These include President Asif Ali Zardari, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Pakistan Peoples Party Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, the First Lady, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, Minister for Information Technology Shaza Fatima, Minister for Power Awais Leghari, Federal Minister for Economic Affairs Ahad Cheema, Speaker of the National Assembly Ayaz Sadiq, and Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Attaullah Tarar.
In addition to cabinet members and parliamentary leaders, several other officials also received gifts during the same period. The list includes Special Assistant to the Prime Minister Tariq Fatemi, the President’s Military Secretary, the President’s spokesperson Murtaza Solangi, the Auditor General of Pakistan, the Minister of State for Railways and Finance, Musharraf Zaidi, Director General Minerals Dr. Nawaz Ahmed Virk, the Secretary for Economic Affairs, the Secretary for Information Technology, the President’s Aide-de-Camp (ADC), and other senior officials.
The Cabinet Division’s data provides insight into the nature of the gifts deposited in the Toshakhana. These include religious and cultural items such as models of Roza-e-Rasool, Khana Kaaba, and Makkah Mukarramah, as well as decorative and ceremonial objects. Among the listed items are paintings, perfumes, shields, carpets, tea sets, swords, daggers, vases, wristwatches, decorative pieces, Saudi coffee, books, royal caps, commemorative souvenirs, table watches, a model of a metro bus, coffee pots, shirts, musical instruments, blankets, scarves, ties, and other assorted gifts.
Officials said that all recipients complied with the rules by submitting the gifts to the Toshakhana, where they are formally recorded and stored. The Cabinet Division also confirmed that the process of estimating the value of the received gifts is currently underway. This valuation exercise is an important step, as it determines whether any items may later be retained by recipients under applicable regulations or auctioned according to government policy.
Notably, the newly released list does not include the names of the individuals or entities who presented these gifts. This marks a change from the previous disclosure covering the last half of the previous fiscal year, from January to June 2025, which did include a separate column identifying both foreign and domestic gift-givers. The absence of this information in the current record has drawn attention, though no official explanation has yet been provided for the omission.
The Toshakhana, a repository managed by the Cabinet Division, is used to store gifts received by public officeholders from foreign dignitaries, international organizations, and domestic individuals during official duties. In recent years, the institution has been the focus of public and political debate, with repeated calls for greater transparency and stricter oversight.
The federal government has, over time, taken several steps to make Toshakhana procedures more transparent. These include publishing periodic records, introducing valuation mechanisms, and, in some cases, auctioning items that are not retained by recipients. Officials say that public disclosure helps build trust and reassures citizens that state gifts are being handled in accordance with the law.
Analysts note that the publication of quarterly Toshakhana records represents a shift toward routine transparency, rather than ad hoc disclosures prompted by controversy. However, they also stress that consistency in the information shared—such as including details of gift-givers—remains important for public confidence.
As the valuation process continues, further details may emerge regarding the assessed worth of the gifts received during the October–December 2025 quarter. The Cabinet Division has indicated that it will continue to release relevant information as part of its mandate.
For now, the latest disclosure adds another chapter to the evolving record of Toshakhana transparency, offering the public a clearer picture of what gifts were received, who received them, and how they were handled during the final quarter of 2025.
