Toshakhana | Pakistan

ISLAMABAD - The Islamabad High Court (IHC) Tuesday issued notices in Imran Khan’s counsel’s request to the court to halt the trial court from giving the final verdict in the Toshakhana II case.

ISLAMABAD: The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) on Wednesday reviewed audit objections involving the Cabinet Division’s management of the Toshakhana, the state gift repository, highlighting improper amendments to its rules and the disappearance of records dating back before 1997. The committee, chaired by Syed Naveed Qamar, was told by audit officials that the original Toshakhana rules from 1973 had been amended in violation of proper procedures. The Auditor General’s office had previously objected to the repeated changes. Cabinet Division Secretary Kamran Ali Afzal explained that a new Toshakhana Act was enacted in 2024, which mandates that all gifts, except those of historical or cultural significance, must be auctioned. “The law does not forbid accepting gifts, but requires their disposal through auction,” he clarified. Probes improper rule amendments, flawed auctions and missing records Mr Afzal added that a proposal for new amendments has been submitted under which dignitaries would not be allowed to acce...