Govt discourages officials from accepting gifts from foreign dignitaries under new Toshakhana rules

• Unavoidable gifts must be deposited in Toshakhana.
• Cabinet Division will conduct open gift auctions.
• Antiques and culturally significant gifts remain excluded.
  

ISLAMABAD: The federal government has introduced new rules for the management and regulation of Toshakhana, discouraging all public office holders, except the president and the prime minister, from accepting gifts from local or foreign dignitaries

The Cabinet Division has issued the Toshakhana (Management and Regulation) Rules, 2026, according to which all private persons forming part of an official delegation are also discouraged from accepting gifts for themselves or their families from the dignitaries, persons or companies with whom they engage in connection with official business.

“Where accepting a gift cannot be avoided because of diplomatic norms or cultural sensitivities, it must be deposited in Toshakhana,” the new rules maintained.

The new rules bound the official to declare and deposit within 30 days of receipt the gifts they received due to diplomatic norms or cultural sensitivities.

In the case of a foreign visit, the gift must be deposited within 30 days of the recipient's return to Pakistan, while gifts that have to be shipped separately to Pakistan may be deposited within 60 days.

According to the new rules, employees in BS-1 to BS-4 may accept and retain cash awards from visiting dignitaries where refusing them is not possible without causing offence.

The rules state that all existing and future gifts received in Toshakhana will be disposed of through open auction, with the Cabinet Division conducting the auction with the approval of the committee constituted under the rules.

Live media coverage of the auction will also be arranged through the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting. The auction will preferably be held biennially, but at least once in every financial year. Public office holders and their families will not be allowed to participate in the auctions.

As per the new rules, gifts categorised as antiques, or those having cultural or historical significance, will not be auctioned. Gifts considered precious or having diplomatic or international sensitivity, including gifts received from foreign heads of state and government, will also be excluded from auction.

Auction proceeds will be deposited into a separate account and used to promote female primary education in the most backward areas of the country. The relevant federal education ministry will maintain the account, while the proceeds must be disbursed within six months of deposit with the prior approval of the prime minister.

The rules also allow advanced generative AI assistants approved by the Ministry of Information Technology and Telecommunication to be used to assess gift values as a reference.

An officer of the Cabinet Division not below BS-20 will be responsible for the security and maintenance of records of gifts deposited in Toshakhana. Physical locking systems and CCTV coverage will be mandatory for the Toshakhana storeroom.