Sale records of Toshakhana gifts available with govt: Imran Khan

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan stated on Wednesday that the trail of sale of gifts from Toshakhana is available in government records. His remarks came during an online address to his party's long march, and after he was accused of corruption and selling gifts given to him when he was prime minister.

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Imran said Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) supremo Nawaz Sharif and Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Asif Ali Zardari “took out four cars from Toshakhana during their tenures and cases against them are still pending.”

He also stated that the government was amending the Pakistan Army Act 1952 for “its personal gains.”

“Nawaz Sharif has not made a single appointment on merit throughout multiple tenures.”

“Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif gave an NRO to himself and his son in a corruption case,” he said. “The court was about to indict him in a few days but he forcefully achieved an acquittal.”

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He added that the current government amended the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) law to close cases on party workers.

Moving on to the economy, he stated that the credit default risk of Pakistan, which stood at 5% in March 2022, has risen to 75%.

“This will dent foreign investment in the country,” he said. “Foreigners will choose to retain their money in dollars than invest in Pakistan when the fear of default is so high. This will also mount pressure on rupee and steer inflation.”

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He also added that PML-N “is famous for forming alliance with media groups and campaign against PTI. They spread propaganda.”

He was referring to a show aired on a private channel in which Dubai-based businessman Umar Zahoor claimed that he had bought Toshakana gifts received by Imran when he was prime minister.

Responding to the claims, Imran tweeted on Wednesday that “enough is enough. Yesterday Geo & Khanzada supported by handlers slandered me through a baseless story cooked up by a known fraudster and internationally wanted criminal.”

“I have spoken to my lawyers and I plan to sue Geo, Khanzada and the fraudster not only in Pakistan but also in UK and UAE,” the tweet read.

The Election Commission of Pakistan has disqualified Imran in the Toshakhana reference under Article 63(1)(p), which says that an individual is, “for the time being, disqualified from being elected or chosen as a member of the Majlis-e-Shoora (parliament) or of a provincial assembly under any law for the time being in force”.

Imran has challenged the verdict in the Supreme Court.

Back in September, he disclosed that some 329 official gifts were received when the PTI was in the federal government. Out of these gifts, 58 were received by him and his wife, and only 14 of these gifts were valued at more than Rs14,000 each.

The former PM further maintained that all the details of the gifts he lawfully bought from Toshakhana were duly declared at the relevant forums including the tax returns (filed with the Federal Board of Revenue – FBR) and the wealth statements (filed with the ECP).