Pakistan: Cabinet division decides to estimate value of Toshakhana gifts

Islamabad [Pakistan], September 16 : The Cabinet has decided to estimate the value of the gifts received in the Toshakhana, ARY News reported on Sunday.
Gifts from foreign dignitaries that are received by government leaders, especially the president and prime minister, are kept and managed by Toshakhana, a department or repository under the Cabinet Division of the Government of Pakistan.
It is important to note that former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi were indicted in the Toshakhana case, and had several charges framed against them in the past.
On December 19, the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) filed a fresh reference against Imran and his wife in an accountability court for retaining a jewellery set received from the Saudi crown prince against an undervalued assessment.
The anti-graft watchdog alleged in the reference that during his term as prime minister, Imran and his wife had received a total of 108 gifts from different heads of state and foreign dignitaries.
According to the details, the division is seeking bids by September 30 from private appraisers to determine the worth of a variety of gift categories, including as watches, jewellery, rugs, and other valuables, reported ARY News.
The chosen appraisers will be entrusted with evaluating the gifts in order to ascertain their true value.
The winning bidders will sign a contract with the Cabinet Division and receive payment for their services.
In July this year, the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention stressed that Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan's detention and prosecution in the first Toshakhana case and Cypher case were "without legal basis" and were politically motivated, reported Dawn.
The UN's report further stated that his detention in these cases was politically motivated to exclude him from competing in the political arena.
According to the first Toshakhana case, Imran had "deliberately concealed" details of the gifts he retained from the Toshakhana, a repository where the gifts handed to government officials from foreign officials are kept, during his time as the prime minister and proceeds from their reported sales.
Meanwhile, the second Toshakhana case concerns a reference against Imran Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi for retaining a jewellery set received from the Saudi crown prince against an undervalued assessment, reported Dawn.
On August 5 last year, a trial court in Islamabad convicted the PTI founder in the first case filed by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) and jailed him for three years.
He was then arrested by Punjab police later that same day from his Zaman Park residence in Lahore. Later, the ECP disqualified him for five years following his conviction.
However, the Islamabad High Court later suspended his three-year sentence, according to Dawn. His sentences in the two Toshakhana cases were suspended while he was acquitted by the Islamabad High Court in the cypher case.