The Senate has recently passed the Tosha Khana Management and Regulation Bill 2023. This bill imposes a five-fold penalty for not submitting gifts, and the money obtained from auctioning these gifts will be utilized for the education of girls.
Notably, the bill prohibits the President, Prime Minister, senior judiciary, military personnel, public officials, and all institutions from accepting gifts from Tosha Khana. Public officials will be required to submit any gifts received to Tosha Khana.
During the Senate meeting, chaired by Chairman Sadiq Sanjrani, the Minister of State for Law, Senator Shahadat Awan, presented the bill. An added provision in the bill specifies that funds from Tosha Khana gifts will be kept in a separate account, and proceeds from auctions will be directed towards educating girls in remote areas.
The collected gifts will be sold through public auctions, and recipients will not be allowed to purchase antiques and vehicles. Artifacts will be preserved in museums or displayed in government-owned buildings, while vehicles will be transferred to the Transport/Protocol Pool of the Cabinet Division.
Public office holders and their family members are prohibited from buying gifts from Tosha Khana directly or through public auctions, and they are not allowed to retain gifts in any category.
It is mandatory for public office holders to promptly report any received gifts to the Cabinet Division and deposit them in Tosha Khana. Failure to report gifts will result in appropriate action against the public office holder.
These regulations also extend to the President, Prime Minister, Chairman Senate, Deputy Chairman Senate, Speaker National Assembly, Deputy Speaker National Assembly, Members of Parliament, Federal Cabinet, Advisors, Special Assistants, Provincial Assembly Speakers, Deputy Speakers, members, Cabinet, and advisers.
The bill also applies to employees of federal and provincial governments, military personnel, government-controlled corporations, and autonomous and semi-autonomous institutions. The Toshah Khana Evaluation Committee will be responsible for preserving gifts found in Tosha Khana and advising the cabinet on their disposal and the deposit amount into the national treasury.
Furthermore, the Cabinet Division, with the help of FBR experts, will determine the value of the gifts deposited in Tosha Khana. Additionally, private appraisers appointed on the approved panel by the Cabinet Division will assess the value of the gifts. The gifts collected in Tosha Khana will be displayed in significant government buildings.
In the same Senate meeting, several other bills were approved, including the Airports Authority Bill 2023, Pakistan General Cosmetics Bill 2023, and National Institute of Technology Bill 2023. The Pakistan Air Safety Investigation Bill 2023, Pakistan Civil Aviation Bill 2023, and Pakistan Sighting Hilal Bill 2023 were referred to the Standing Committees for further consideration.