ISLAMABAD - The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s denial to the allegations of Dubai-based businessman Umar Farooq Zahoor about purchase of Toshakhana presents gifted to former prime minister Imran Khan by the Saudi Royal family, raises more questions over the alleged shady financial deal.
A day earlier, the Toshakhana case that involves the issue of sale of state gifts by ex-premier Khan again came into the limelight when Zahoor in a TV interview claimed that he bought an expensive Graff wristwatch along with other items directly from the close aides of the opposition party leader and his wife for $2 million.
The watch set had an approximate worth of Rs 280 million at the time of sale in 2019, which was gifted to Khan by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad Bin Salman during his visit as the prime minister. Khan himself in a twitter post denied the allegations. The PTI leaders and close aides to party chief including Fawad Chaudhry, Dr Shireen Mazari and Zulfi Bukhari in a presser also refuted the charges and said that the costly presents were never sold to the businessman. Chaudhry said that the watch was sold in the Pakistani market contrary to the claim of Zahoor that Farah Khan, a close friend of Khan’s wife Bushra Bibi, had handed over the same to him in Dubai and received the payment in cash.
The claim raises many questions about the sale of state gifts. If the costly present was not sold to Zahoor that is now being labelled by PTI as “notorious and wanted person”, then how did he succeed to get the watch and from where he purchased it?
The PTI leadership remained offensive on the allegations of the businessman but the opposition party has so far not given exact details about this financial deal. There is no satisfactory answer from Chairman PTI Khan and his party as to who was the actual person or the dealer that purchased the costly gifts that Khan retained from the Toshakhana (state depository) after paying 20 percent of their total cost as determined by the federal government.
The Cabinet Division had valued the price of the watch set at approximately Rs 100 million and the ex-premier after paying 20 percent of the total determined value sold it in the local market for approximately Rs 57 million, according to the details provided by PTI