Imran Khan,
former Pakistan Prime Minister, has been barred from holding public office by
the country’s top election body. The decision comes after Khan, a cricketer who
led the Pakistan cricket team to World Cup victory in 1992, and then led Pakistan
to the cusp of economic chaos three decades later, was accused of financial
improprieties while disposing with gifts received from foreign dignitaries
while he was prime minister.

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The case
against Imran Khan has been referred to in the mainstream media as the
Toshakhana case. This is because, according to Pakistan law, the prime minister
is supposed to deposit the gifts he receives from foreign leaders while serving
the post in the country’s Toshakhana, or state depository. Imran Khan is
alleged to have committed improprieties while depositing the same.

Toshakhana
meaning:

Toshakhana
is a Persian word. Its literal English translation is ‘treasure-house’. The word
has been used in the Indian subcontinent since Mughal rule. In the Mughal era, the
toshakhana was the place where prices stored gifts and emblems of honour that
they received for posterity. The toshakhana was an archive of objects whose
origin and receipt embodied its status and honour.

What is Toshakhana
in Pakistan?

Toshakhana
in Pakistan nearly means the same thing it meant in Mughal India. Pakistan’s toshakhana
is the state depository. It is the place where leaders of the country keep the
gifts they receive from foreign dignitaries. The received gifts are regarded as
property of the Pakistan government and not of the individual leaders?

What is
the Toshakhana case against Imran Khan?

Imran Khan,
leader of Pakistan’s Tehreek-e-Insaaf, came to power in 2018. Local media
reports say Khan received a lot of expensive gifts from rich Arab rulers during
official visits. The allegation against Khan is that he bought the gifts at a
discounted price from the toshakhana and then sold them at hefty profits.

The gifts
included a Graff wrist watch, a pair of cufflinks, an expensive pen, a ring and
four Rolex watches, media reports say.