Toshakhana gifts may be retained but can’t be sold: Marriyum

Staff Report

ISLAMABAD: Minister for Information and Broadcasting Marriyum Aurangzeb, refuted Imran Khan, the Chairman of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf the’Toshakhana’gifts,.

In reference to Imran Khan saying my gifts, my choice, she said that the articles might be retained but could not be sold for pecuniary benefits. She made it clear at the news conference that “the gifts belong to the Prime Minister of Pakistan, who can retain them but has no right to sell them in the market”.

Toshakhana is a department that keeps precious gifts received by the rulers, parliamentarians and others from heads of a foreign government, and dignitaries as a goodwill gesture.  Marriyum said Imran Khan, whilst being in power, retained the Toshakhana gifts at 20 per cent of their price, but sold them at four times higher in the market.

He retained a total 58 gifts, including cufflinks, a ring and others, worth Rs 142 million. It also included the famous wristwatch, which alone was sold for Rs 180 million. All the expensive items were retained by Imran Khan prior to the increase in the percentage price of the Toshakhana gifts from 20 to 50, she pointed out.

She said Imran Khan’s income increased manifold due to the selling of the Toshakhana gifts. The money raised through the gift sale was much more precious than his entire life income.

His deceit, hypocrisy and lies got fully exposed in the public.  She accused Imran Khan of misusing his authority for monetary benefits and said in the first two months of his government, he made Rs 85 million through the Toshakhana gifts and a total of Rs 142 million in four years from a total of 58 gifts.

The Minister asked the PTI chairman to put the money trail of Toshakhana gifts before the nation which needed answers about his corruption while being in power.

She said Imran Khan’s wife had filed her last tax return in the Federal Board of revenue in 2018, using her old name, and the PTI chairman should give an explanation in that regard too.

As regards the foreign funding, she said the Election Commission of Pakistan had formed a committee on the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz’s funding, but the PTI failed to raise a single objection during its proceedings.  Likewise, the ECP itself did not raise any objection over the PML-Ns funding, nor the State Bank of Pakistan did issue a statement on the matter, she added.

Marriyum said that the action is being taken against those who were involved in the malicious campaign against the state institutions through robotic tweets. These are being investigated and all the relevant authorities are making efforts to trace out the faceless tweeters.

She called upon the Chairman of the PTI, to tell the party workers whilst addressing them in Lahore about the bad governance of his government. Imran Khan should also tell them about the poverty, unemployment, inflation and increased massive debts that his government caused.

The nation would decide who it would be supporting: either those who were distributing certificates of sedition or those who were working for the country’s progress and development, she added.  The law would take its course where the authority was misused, she responded.

The Minister of Information and Broadcasting informed the reporters that more ministers would be taking oaths very soon.

She added that “We have received information that some files were missing from the Prime Minister’s Office”.

She also claimed minister that Imran Khan’s travel expenses from Bani Gala to the PM Office stood at millions of rupees.