ISLAMABAD: The federal cabinet approved amendments to the Toshakhana gifts rules. Under the revised rules, public office holders are prohibited from retaining gifts valued over 300 US dollars.
The Cabinet meeting, chaired by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, focused on strengthening regulations for the acceptance and handling of gifts by government officials.
According to the new amendments, items such as shields and souvenirs not retained by recipients will be prominently displayed within the recipient’s institution and thoroughly documented.
Books received as gifts, if not kept by the recipient, will be housed in either the recipient’s office or a public library, with regular inventories conducted. Unnecessary gifts will be disposed of in the presence of a designated committee.
To enhance transparency, the honorarium for private sector experts evaluating gifts at Toshakhana will be increased. This change follows the Toshakhana Policy 2023, which imposed restrictions on the value of gifts received by top government officials during the PDM government’s tenure.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif emphasized the government’s commitment to addressing challenges faced by the Kashmiri people.
Following a review of the situation in Azad Jammu and Kashmir, the federal government approved an immediate allocation of 23 billion rupees to assist the Kashmiri population.
The Prime Minister called for constructive dialogue involving President of Pakistan Asif Ali Zardari, Prime Minister of Azad Jammu and Kashmir Chaudhry Anwar-ul-Haq, and Minister of Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan Affairs Engineer Amir Makam to resolve the Kashmir issue.
Additionally, the Federal Cabinet endorsed decisions from the Cabinet Committee on Legislative Cases and formed a special committee to review amendments to the Pakistan Electronic Crimes Act, 2016.
This committee, chaired by Adviser to the Prime Minister on Political Affairs Rana Sanaullah, includes representatives from coalition parties.
The Cabinet also approved tax and duty exemptions on one million bottles of multi-micronutrient supplements for pregnant women, donated by Kirk Humanitarian, USA, and Junaid Family Foundation, USA, upon the Ministry of National Health’s recommendation.
Furthermore, an amendment to Clause 3(1)e of the Investment Ombudsman appointment rules was approved, requiring a degree in commerce, finance, or a related field for the post.
The Federal Cabinet also endorsed decisions made by the Economic Coordination Committee in its May 7, 2024, meeting.
I am an experienced writer, analyst, and author. My exposure in English journalism spans more than 28 years. In the past, I have been working with daily The Muslim (Lahore Bureau), daily Business Recorder (Lahore/Islamabad Bureaus), Daily Times, Islamabad, daily The Nation (Lahore and Karachi). With daily The Nation, I have served as Resident Editor, Karachi. Since 2009, I have been working as a Freelance Writer/Editor for American organizations.
