Businessman Umar Farooq Zahoor offers to return expensive watch free of cost

Dubai-based businessman Umar Farooq Zahoor has offered to return a rare and expensive watch that he claimed to have bought from the PTI.

Zahoor claimed that the PTI government sold an expensive Graff wristwatch — gifted to former premier Imran Khan by Saudi Crown Prince Moham­mad Bin Salman — for $2 million, worth approximately Rs280m at the time of sale in 2019.

In an interview with a private channel, Zahoor showed the rare Saudi-gifted Graff watch as proof of ownership which he claimed to have bought from the former prime minister through Farah Gogi, who is a close friend of Bushra Bibi.

“I will never sell this watch for money and will return for free to the State of Pakistan’s Toshakhana if the state asks,” he said in a post on social media. 

In November last year, Zahoor came forward and said he was the owner of the watch gifted to the former prime minister featuring an image of the Holy Kaabah.

The precious item has been described as Diamond MasterGraff Tourbillon Minute Repeater with Makkah Map Dial GM2751.

Zahoor says he bought the precious watch from former prime minister Imran Khan’s trusted family friend Farah Gogi after paying a hefty amount of $2 million.

He claimed that he met Farah Khan in Dubai and was instantly interested because the items were “rare and priceless”.

“[She] told me the history of the watch and said that they were gifted to Imran Khan by the Saudi prince. She said she wanted to sell these on Imran and his wife’s behalf,” he said while speaking to a private channel.

Zahoor recalled that he was impressed after seeing the watch because it was a “limited edition piece, very rare in the world”. He said he got an appraisal of the watch done as well.

He said he purchased the watch for $2 million after negotiations and the payments were made in cash on Farah Khan’s insistence. He said that former adviser Mirza Shahzad Akbar was also involved in the sale.

Zahoor also showed the watch and repeatedly insisted that it was genuine. He also offered to provide further details if the matter was probed. Shahzad Akbar has denied his involvement in the sale of the watch while Farah Gogi has been spoken on the matter.