Imran Khan
Imran Khan retained gifts worth over Rs 140 million he received as Pak PM
Islamabad: Pakistan's former Prime Minister Imran Khan, who was recently unseated by the Opposition, had received 58 gifts amounting to over Rs 140 million from world leaders during his three-and-a-half-year stint and kept all of them by paying just a negligible amount for some and the rest without any payment, media reports said.
According to The News International, Khan was found selling Toshakhana gifts worth Rs 140 million in Dubai.
Khan resorted to similar act for which he had slammed his prdecessors. He had ordered filing references against former president Asif Ali Zardari and former prime ministers Nawaz Sharif and Yousaf Raza Gillani on charges of getting luxury gifts and vehicles from the treasury.
Accusing the former prime ministers of spending public money, right after assuming the post of prime minister, he had implemented austerity measures to ease the burden of the government exchequer.
Other gifts retained by Khan included a Rolex watch, a pair of cufflinks, one ring and one box containing a necklace, bracelet, and a pair of earrings was valued at Rs 23.5 million and it was retained through Rs 11.5 million.
Khan had retained the Rolex watch, worth Rs 3.8 million, he had received in October 2018 by paying a sum of Rs 754,000.
He retained another Rolex watch for Rs 1.5 million in return for Rs 294,000.
Another set of gifts included a couple of Rolex watches, an iPhone and other items worth Rs 1.73 million, which was retained for Rs 338,600, reported The News International.
In all, Imran Khan paid Rs 38 million for gifts valued at Rs 140 million, the report said, adding that other gifts worth Rs 800,200 were retained without making any payment.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif set up an evaluation committee that has made the price assessment of the gifts.
According to him, the most expensive ones have been sold in Dubai.
These include what he had received after his inauguration as prime minister in August 2018 including the Graff watch of Rs 85 million that was received together with cufflinks of Rs 5.67 million, a pen of Rs 1.5 million and a ring of Rs 8.75 million.
When Imran Khan became the prime minister, those interested to retain the gift could do so by paying a certain amount of the value which was 20 percent.
The rules were revised in December 2018 that required the payment of 50 percent to retain these gifts.
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