PTI leader Fawad Chaudhry announced on Wednesday that his party will be initiating legal proceedings against Dubai-based businessman Umar Farooq Zahoor in the Gulf state and Jang Group in London, as he denied allegations that PTI Chairman Imran Khan had sold a state gift to the former.
However, he acknowledged that the gift was “legally” sold “in the market”.
The explanation came a day after Zahoor appeared on Geo News programme Aaj Shahzeb Khanzada Kay Sath and claimed the PTI government had sold an expensive Graff wristwatch — gifted to Imran by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad Bin Salman — for $2 million, worth approximately Rs280m at the time of sale in 2019.
The Toshakhana case over the sale of state gifts received by Imran became a major sticking point in national politics after the Election Commission of Pakistan disqualified the PTI chief for making “false statements and incorrect declaration”.
After months of evading the topic, Imran admitted in a written reply on Sept 8 that he had sold at least four presents — including a Graff wristwatch — he had received during his tenure as the prime minister.
The matter again shot into the spotlight yesterday night as Zahoor claimed in the Geo News programme that he had bought the watch through former accountability minister Shahzad Akbar and Farah Khan, a close aide Imran’s wife Bushra Bibi.
The Dubai-based businessman also claimed that Farah wanted to sell the watch for $4-5m “but after negotiations, I purchased it for $2 million”. The payment, he added, was made in cash on Farah’s insistence.
The claims evoked an outcry from PTI leaders, including Akbar who denied Zahoor’s allegations.
Along the same lines, Fawad also rejected the claims in today’s press conference.
He began the press conference by sharing details about the Graff wristwatch in question.
Elaborating on the procedure for receiving state gifts, he said the watch was gifted by the Saudi king during Imran’s trip to Saudi Arabia in 2018 when the PTI chief was the prime minister. Following due procedure, the watch was deposited in the Toshakhana department and its price was valued at approximately RS100m, Fawad added.
At the time, he recalled, public office holders could pay 20pc of the evaluated price of a gift and retain it. “Imran Khan paid 20pc of the evaluated price and it became his personal property,” Fawad contended, revealing that the watch was later “sold in the market for approximately Rs57m.
“Capital gains tax was paid for it accordingly and it was declared in Imran Khan’s returns as well as before the election commission.”
The watch, he asserted, was “never sold to anyone named Umar Zahoor.
“Neither was it ever handed over to Farah Gujjar for selling … and Ahsan Saleem Gujjar, who is Farah’s husband, clearly said [last] night that she never met him (Zahoor).”
In this connection, Fawad also highlighted Zahoor’s “very shady history”.
Zahoor is said to be an influential business personality and is apparently wanted by Norway, Switzerland, Turkiye and Pakistan since 2009-10 over various financial and other crimes.
The businessman 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 had already ordered that his name be placed on the Exit Control List.
Building his case on the basis of this information, Fawad alleged that Zahoor had named Akbar because the former accountability minister wanted his return to Pakistan.
But soon after the government changed, a first information report was registered against Akbar and late Federal Investigation Agency director Mohammad Rizwan at Islamabad’s Kohsar police station, he said. “Later, Zahoor’s name was removed from the ECL (Exit Control List) and a month after that, he holds this press conference.”
Following Fawad’s press conference, Imran himself denied the allegation and vowed to take legal action against Geo and Khanzada.
