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ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has denied claims, made by a Dubai-based business personality Umar Farooq Zahoor, who is also wanted in criminal cases at home and abroad, that party chief Imran Khan sold a an expensive Graff wristwatch — gifted by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad Bin Salman — for $2 million, worth approximately Rs280m at the time of sale in 2019.
Also read: ECP disqualifies Imran Khan in Toshakhana reference
The Dubai-based businessman Umar Farooq Zahoor popped up Tuesday night at a talk show on private TV channel, which is believed to be close to the ruling coalition, claiming that the PTI government sold an expensive diamond MasterGraff Tourbillon Minute Repeater with Makkah map dial GM2751 for $2 million, worth approximately Rs280m at the time of sale in 2019.
Also read: Toshakhana Case: All you need to know
It is pertinent to mention here that Umar Farooq Zahoor is wanted by Norway, Switzerland, Turkiye and Pakistan since 2009-10 over various financial and other crimes. He also stands accused of taking his minor daughters abroad illegally after obtaining their passports under fictitious names and parentage, even though the Lahore High Court (LHC) had already ordered that his name be placed on the Exit Control List (ECL).
Reacting on the allegations, PTI leader Fawad Chaudhry said everything that Imran had done was as per the law, including retention of a gift received as a the prime minister, the money paid to retain the gift per the the ratio prescribed in law and then selling an object which he the fully owned.
Also read: The real story of Toshakhana
In a series of tweets, Fawad Chaudhry said that the Ex-PM had declared retention of the gift, particularly in asset declarations, and that when the government failed to find a case against Imran Khan, they implicated him in Toshakhana.
جب عمران خان ہر کوئ کیس نہیں ملا تو کیس یہ بنایا گیا کہ سعودی عرب کے بادشاہ نے عمران خان کو مہنگی گھڑی تحفے میں ی وہ گھڑی روزہ خانی سے خرید کر مہنگے دانوں مارکیٹ میں فروخت کر دی گئ، سب سے پہلے تو یہ کہ پانچ ملین ڈالر کی گھڑی کبھی کسی بھی وزیر اعظم کو تحفہ نہیں دی گئ (جاری)
— Ch Fawad Hussain (@fawadchaudhry) November 15, 2022
Fawad Chaudhry even went to the extent of explaining the entire procedure of how the Toshakhana system works. He said “on a foreign visit, a protocol officer from the foreign ministry receives the gift and submits it to the Toshakhana. Then he also submits the receipt of the gift into the relevant department.”
He further said “Toshakhana falls under the authority of cabinet division where an independent committee decides the price of the gifts in accordance with the rules and informs the relevant minister or the premier.”
Fawad said before the government of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI) as per the rules, the gifts from the Toshakhana could be purchased with a 25% payment. The PTI government increased this percentage to 50%.
He made it clear via his tweet, “Imran Khan purchased the watch from Toshakhana as per law, and he has declared the watch in his tax returns and declarations submitted to the Election Commission of Pakistan.
