Toshakhana / state gift scandal

What is the Toshakhana?

• The word Toshakhana is Persian/Urdu for “treasure house”. In Pakistan the Toshakhana (under the Cabinet Division) is the official depository of gifts given to state officials by foreign dignitaries or heads of state.


• Under the rules, when a state official receives a gift (from abroad, above a certain value) it must be deposited in Toshakhana. The official may later be permitted to purchase the gift by paying a stipulated percentage of its assessed value.


• The idea behind the system: maintain transparency, ensure the state owns or compensates for valuable items given to officials, avoid misuse.

What are the main allegations against Imran Khan?

1. Retaining gifts without proper payment or deposition
   
   
   
   • It’s alleged that during his premiership (2018‑22) Khan received many gifts (from foreign leaders, dignitaries) which were either not deposited properly into Toshakhana or were retained (bought) at undervalued rates.
   
   
   • A recent court hearing noted that Khan had retained 108 gifts while in office.
   
   


2. Undervalued purchase & sale for profit
   
   
   
   • One of the key accusations: Khan bought items from Toshakhana at a discount relative to their assessed market value, then sold some of them for a profit. For example: three watches, collectively assessed at about RS 154 million, but he reportedly made ~RS 36 million profit.
   
   
   • Allegation that a luxury watch (gifted by a Gulf dignitary) assessed at ~RS 101 million was sold for ~RS 51 million, with only ~RS 20 million deposited to the government.
   
   
   
   


3. Non‑disclosure to regulatory bodies / election commission & asset declarations
   
   
   
   • The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) found Khan had failed to declare certain funds/assets arising from the sale of those gifts, which is a legal requirement.
   
   
   • For example, he was reportedly disqualified for failing to inform the ECP about the money received from selling the gifts.
   
   
   
   


4. Additional related allegations: forgery/fraud
   
   
   
   • Further cases allege forged/fake receipts related to the gift items, undervaluation by inexperienced appraisers, collusion among aides, etc.