President, PM, Others Declare Gifts Received from Foreign Dignitaries

Pakistan's high-ranking officials, including President Asif Ali Zardari, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, and Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar, have received a significant number of gifts from foreign dignitaries over the past year, all of which have been formally deposited in the state repository known as Toshakhana. The Ministry of Information recently disclosed details concerning gifts received by the premier, deputy premier, and other cabinet members within the last three months.

“

This data/list is provided on federal government dir­ections as per the rec­ord available and is based on the information/gifts decl­a­red or deposited by the persons and departments responsible for it under the policy prevalent at that time. The cabinet division is not responsible for any error or omissions made by those individuals/departments.

In addition to the recent disclosures, the Cabinet Division has made records of gifts received by officeholders publicly available on its official website, with data extending back to 2002. However, the identities of the foreign dignitaries who presented these gifts have not been disclosed in any of the released information.

Information Minister Attaullah Tarar explained that the government regularly publishes details of deposited gifts, with the latest information covering the preceding three months. He confirmed that all deposited gifts are uploaded periodically to a public portal. The published records encompass gifts received by the president, prime minister, deputy prime minister, ministers, and other government officers. Tarar explicitly stated, "The only information we do not reveal is the name of the dignitary who has gifted."

“

We upload [details of gifts] periodically. All deposited gifts are uploaded, and the whole information is on the portal.

According to the records, President Zardari received items such as a tea set, a sword, a golden desert model, a woollen overcoat, a Vacheron Constantin Geneve wristwatch, a decorative piece, a ceremonial sabre set, a chessboard, a decorative serving bowl, and an oil painting. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif's received gifts included a shield, a souvenir, a portrait, multiple shields, a tie, frames, swords, and a box containing jewelry. Notably, his gifts also included two Rolex watches and a Patek Philippe watch. Deputy Prime Minister Dar received a decoration piece and a traditional Chinese stamp.

“

The only information we do not reveal is the name of the dignitary who has gifted.