Dubai-based businessman claims Toshakhana gifts sold to him

The charges of misuse of the Toshakhana against former prime minister Imran Khan took an unusual turn on Tuesday when a well-known Dubai-based businessman came to the fore and claimed he had bought some of the state gifts, including an expensive Graff wristwatch worth at least Rs2 billion, from Farah Gogi and Shahzad Akbar.

In an interview with a private TV channel, Umar Farooq Zahoor said he bought expensive items, gifted to the PTI chief by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman, for $2 million.

He further alleged that adviser to the former premier on accountability Shahzad Akbar had contacted him in 2019 to sell watches, rings and other gifts and said also has evidence to substantiate the claims he was making.

The businessman went on to allege that he was later blackmailed and fake cases of money laundering were registered against him by the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) at the behest of Shahzad Akbar after he refused to listen to the demands made by his former wife Sophia Mirza.

“Farah Khan herself brought the gifts to my office in Dubai and told me that the items had been gifted to Imran Khan by the Saudi crown prince,” he claimed and added that he was convinced to buy them after he confirmed through his sources.

Farah’s husband denies allegations

Meanwhile, Ahsan Jameel Gujjar, husband of Farah Gogi, immediately denied the allegations of any such trade, terming it “a fabricated and baseless story”. Gujjar, speaking to Express News anchorperson Javed Chaudhry on his show ‘Kal Tak’, neither he, nor his wife know Shahzad Akbar and Umar Farooq.

“We do not have a transactional relationship with Imran Khan and he never gave any gift to me or Farah,” he claimed and demanded CCTV footage evidence to back the allegations.

“CCTV cameras are installed at jewellers’ shops in Dubai. They should bring out the footage along with the claim. A person making such a big deal must have installed cameras in his office,” Gujjar said.

Similarly, Shahzad Akbar also took to Twitter and said he had never met or spoken to Zahoor. He said that Zahoor registered a case against him in Islamabad’s Secretariat Police Station.

“He registered a fake case against me although the law is that no case can be registered unless a person is in the country,” he added. He said Zahoor was “FIA’s wanted man”, but his case was terminated by the current government.

Shireen Mazari said: “A wanted man, a criminal and we are to believe his word! Joke! Earlier this morning dictator Zia's man Gen (retd) Chishti gave a bizarre presser to try and target Imran Khan followed by this drama. Desperation written large especially when nothing works."