Hiding state gifts to be penalised

A bill on Tuesday was presented in the Senate, proposing that the official, who did not deposit their gift in the Toshakhana within the stipulated time period, would be fined five times the value of that item.

The Toshakhana (Management and Regulation) Act, 2023 was presented by Parliamentary Affairs Minister Murtaza Javed Abbasi of the ruling PML-N.

Toshakhana is a repository under the administrative control of the Cabinet Division and stores precious gifts given to rulers, parliamentarians, bureaucrats and other officials by heads of other governments as well as foreign dignitaries.

The Toshakhana rules read that gifts and other such materials received by the officials would be reported to the Cabinet Division.

The issue of Toshakhana has been in the limelight in recent times because of the proceedings against PTI Chairman and deposed premier Imran Khan for “concealing” the details of the gifts he had received while he was the prime minister.

In October last year, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) disqualified the PTI chairman under Article 63(1)(p) as it announced its verdict in the Toshakhana reference.

A four-member bench of the ECP declared Imran’s National Assembly seat vacant as it unanimously decided that he had misled officials about the gifts he received from foreign dignitaries during his tenure as the prime minister.

The written ruling read that the PTI chief had “intentionally and deliberately” violated the provisions contained in sections 137, 167 and 173 of the Elections Act, 2017 as he submitted a “false statement” and “incorrect declaration” to the ECP in the details of his assets and liabilities filed by him for the year 2020-21.

According to the bill, the president, prime minister, chief ministers, governors, parliamentarians, bureaucrats, officers of the armed forces and members of the judiciary as well as their family members will have to deposit all kinds of gifts they receive in the Toshakhana.

It proposed in its Section 3 that a gift received by a public office holder or a private person as part of an official delegation would be deposited in the Toshakhana within the time limit or the process prescribed by the rules in this legislation.

“Whoever contravenes or attempts to contravene or abets in contravention of Section 3 or any rules made thereunder, shall be punishable with fine equal to five times the assessed market value of the gift,” it continued.

The bill suggested that the Cabinet Division would be responsible for management and regulation of the Toshakhana.

The parliamentary affairs minister told the house that the proposals of senators Mushtaq Ahmed and Bahramand Tangi had been included in the bill.

The bill was referred to the relevant committee of the Senate.