ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif Thursday revealed that former premier Imran Khan took gifts worth Rs140 million from Toshakhana and sold them in Dubai.
The prime minister made the claim during a meeting with senior journalists at PM House.
“I can confirm that Imran Khan took gifts from Toshakhana and sold them in Dubai for Rs140 million. Valuable gifts include diamond jewellery, bracelets, watches and sets,” he said.
PM Shahbaz said that he also got a watch once which he had deposited in the Toshakhana.
“I don't need to hide anything,” he added.
It is pertinent to mention that the PTI government had been reluctant to share details about gifts retained from Toshakhana.
It has been earlier reported that an inquiry has been initiated against former prime minister Imran Khan by the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) for selling a precious necklace from Toshakhana, inflicting a loss to the national exchequer.
The report had claimed that the necklace was sold to a jeweller in Lahore through Zulfi Bukhari for Rs180 million, while only a fraction of that amount was paid to Toshakhana.
In response to the allegations, Bukhari said there was no truth in reports about the selling of a necklace.
Talking to Geo News, he said that there never had been any talk about the necklace and the allegations were ill-founded and baseless.
Replying to the allegations, former information minister Fawad Chaudhry said that Imran Khan purchased the watch from the government which was received as a gift from a foreign country.
“I don’t understand what is the actual issue of Shahbaz,” he questioned saying that he [the premier] is confused as he is unable to comprehend how to level allegations against Imran Khan.
Speaking to a private channel, Fawad said that no matter what the price of the watch is "if it is mine I can sell that watch nobody should have a problem with it."
The former minister said advised PM Shahbaz to refrain from superficial gossip and focus on national issues.
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