Marriyum Aurangzeb berates Imran Khan over Toshakhana controversy

• "Imran Khan ran a business while sitting on PM's chair," says Aurangzeb.
• "Khan will have to show the money trail and the receipts as the Toshakhana gifts cannot be sold," she adds.
• “For the first time in Pakistan, a thief and an incompetent PM has been removed constitutionally through a no-confidence motion,” she says.

ISLAMABAD: Newly elected Information Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb Thursday berated former prime minister Imran Khan for selling items from the Toshakhana and said that as against his claims, the gifts stored therein were the property of the government and not the ex-premier's personal property.

Speaking at a press conference in Islamabad on Thursday, Aurangzeb criticised Imran Khan for saying “mera tohfa, meri marzi (my gift, my choice)" adding that it was Pakistan’s gift and not his personal property.

She alleged that Imran Khan's income grew double-fold after he sold items from the Toshakhana.

The information minister said that the PTI chairman will have to show the money trail and the receipts as the Toshakhana gifts cannot be sold.

 “The PTI-led government introduced a law to procure gifts from the Toshakhana at 50% of its original cost, but despite the law being introduced during their tenure, Imran Khan purchased the gift at 20% of the cost,” she said.

Praising the PML-N government, Aurangzeb went on to say that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif started working within five days after assuming office as the premier because the country's economy, foreign policy, and development projects were in the worst condition.

The information minister went on to say that a campaign is being launched against state institutions through “robotics tweets” and the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) has been instructed to take action against them. 

“Immediate action will be taken against those who are behind these tweets and robotics machines will be identified soon,” added the minister.

Talking about the former first lady of Pakistan Bushra Bibi, Aurangzeb said that she made an entry in the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) tax return back in 2018 using her old name.

“For the first time in Pakistan, a thief and an incompetent prime minister has been removed constitutionally through a no-confidence motion,” she said, adding that “excessive expenditure on sugar increased its prices; flour had to be imported after it was smuggled and PTI’s minister looted medicines.”

Talking about the PTI chairman’s former adviser on accountability and interior Shahzad Akbar, the PML-N leader said that he has fled the country and the government knows how to bring him back to Pakistan.

She further said that if there was no evidence against Bushra Bibi’s close friend Farah Khan, she wouldn't have escaped. 

Toshakhana controversy

On Thursday, April 14, PM Shehbaz Sharif revealed that ex-premier Imran Khan took gifts from the Toshakhana and sold them in Dubai.

"Imran Khan sold these gifts for Rs140 million in Dubai," PM Shehbaz was reported as telling journalists during an iftar he hosted a day earlier in the federal capital.

The premier was said to have shared that the expensive gifts that former prime minister Imran Khan traded for money included diamond jewellery sets, bracelets and wristwatches.

PM Shehbaz said that he also received a watch once, but deposited it to the Toshakhana, adding that he "does not need to hide anything".

What does the law say?

According to the law, whenever a head of state receives a gift from another state or country, they have to give it to the Toshakhana. If they wish to keep the gift, they have to pay an amount equal to its value which is decided through an auction.

These gifts either remain deposited in the Toshakhana or can be auctioned and the money acquired through it is to be deposited into the national treasury.