Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif accuses former prime minister Imran Khan of selling gifts from Toshakhana. He said he can confirm that Imran Khan took gifts from Toshakhana and sold them to Dubai.
PM Shehbaz Sharif made the claims during an iftar dinner he hosted for senior journalists in Islamabad. The talk turned to the former government’s refusal to disclose details of gifts received by Imran Khan. At this, Shehbaz Sharif said Imran Khan sold the gifts for Rs. 140 million in Dubai.
He also listed the items Imran Khan allegedly traded for money which include diamond jewelry sets, bracelets, and wristwatches. The prime minister also asserted that he also received a watch once. However, he deposited it to the Toshakhana.
“I don’t need to hide anything,” Shehbaz Sharif added.
صحافیوں کے ساتھ ملاقات میں وزیر اعظم شہباز شریف نے سابق وزیر اعظم عمران خان پر الزام لگایا ہے کہ انہوں نے توشہ خانہ ریکارڈ سے ملنے والی معلومات ، 14 کروڑ کے تحفے دبئی میں فروخت کر دیے ہیں۔#IK کی کردار کشی کا آغاز؟
— Arif Hameed Bhatti (@arifhameed15) April 15, 2022
PTI’s stance
Reacting to Shehbaz Sharif’s accusations against Imran Khan, former Minister for Information Fawad Chaudhry said that the new premier is “throwing dirt on Imran Khan”.
Fawad Chauhdry, while talking to the media, also clarified that Imran Khan had bought a watch – that he received from a foreign country – from the government of Pakistan and sold it.
“What is the offence if the [then] prime minister sold the watch he bought from the government?” Fawad asked. “It doesn’t matter if the watch is worth Rs50 million or 100 milllion […] if it is mine and I sold it, there shouldn’t be any objection,” Fawad Chaudhry added.
Read more: Why govt. hides details of gifts received by PM Khan
Similarly, a few days ago, former SAPM to Overseas Pakistani Zulfi Bukhari too refuted the claims of Imran Khan selling Toshakhana gifts. Earlier, media reports claimed that Imran Khan, received a gift during his premiership, but he did not deposit that expensive gift into the state gift repository (Toshakhana). He allegedly gave this gift to Zulfi Bukhari, who sold it to a jeweler in Lahore for Rs. 180 million.
On the other hand, Zulfi Bukhari rejected the allegations, calling them “blatant lies”. In a Twitter post, the PTI leader said, “Low blow attempt to discredit PM by a B grade media house”.
Blatantl lies! No necklace given or ever sold by me.
Low blow attempt to discredit PM by a B grade media house. Surely you can do better than that 24 News.— Sayed Z Bukhari (@sayedzbukhari) April 12, 2022
Moreover, the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) also launched an inquiry against Imran Khan, claiming that the former premier deposited a small amount in the exchequer despite being bound to deposit 50 percent of the gift’s value.
To clarify, according to the Toshakhana rules, gifts remain the property of the state unless sold at an open auction. Rules allow officials to retain gifts with a market value of less than Rs10, 000 without paying anything.