Imran will sue Geo, Khanzada & Zahoor in Pakistan, UK and UAE for baseless allegations

Former prime minister and Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf Chairman Imran Khan has announced that he is going to sue Geo TV, its anchorperson Shahzaib Khanzada and fraudster Umar Farooq Zahoor in Pakistan, United Kingdom (UK) and United Arab Emirates (UAE) for their baseless allegations against him.

Imran is his tweet said, “Enough is enough. Yesterday Geo & Khanzada supported by Handlers slandered me through a baseless story cooked up by a known fraudster & internationally wanted criminal. I have spoken to my lawyers & I plan to sue Geo, Khanzada & the fraudster not only in Pak but also in UK & UAE.”

Enough is enough. Yesterday Geo & Khanzada supported by Handlers slandered me through a baseless story cooked up by a known fraudster & internationally wanted criminal. I have spoken to my lawyers & I plan to sue Geo, Khanzada & the fraudster not only in Pak but also in UK & UAE.

— Imran Khan (@ImranKhanPTI) November 16, 2022

It is pertinent to mention here that on Tuesday (Nov 15), Dubai-based businessman Umar Farooq Zahoor appeared on Geo News programme Aaj Shahzeb Khanzada Kay Sath and claimed the PTI government had sold an expensive Graff wristwatch, which was gifted to former prime minister Imran Khan by Saudi Crown Prince Moham­med Bin Salman for $2 million, worth approximately Rs280m at the time of sale in 2019.

Also Read

Murderous attack on Imran: Court orders police to register case as per law

The Session Court, Wazirabad, has ordered the police to register the case...

The Toshakhana case over the sale of state gifts received by Imran became a major sticking point in national politics after the Election Commission of Pakistan disqualified the PTI chief for making “false statements and incorrect declaration”.

The matter again shot into the spotlight Tuesday night as Zahoor claimed in the Geo News programme that he had bought the watch through former accoun­ta­bility minister Shahzad Akbar and Farah Khan, a close aide of Imran’s wife Bushra Bibi.

The Dubai-based businessman also claimed that Farah wanted to sell the watch for $4-5m “but after negotiations, I purchased it for $2 million”. The payment, he added, was made in cash on Farah’s insistence. However, Shahzad Akbar denied Zahoor’s allegations.

Earlier on Wednesday, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Fawad Chaudhry said that the party has decided to take the matter legally against Umar Farooq Zahoor.

Fawad Chaudhry in a presser maintained that PTI will initiate legal proceedings against Zahoor for the allegations he made on a private channel adding that the claims were baseless and had no truth in them.

“The watch was priced at Rs100 million, and in line with the law regulating Toshakhana, Khan sold it for more than Rs50 million in the market and filed capital gain tax on it.”

He also elucidated the procedure of Toshakhana gifts and said that the chief of protocol receives the gifts and brings them to Pakistan, and he is the official who deposits them into Toshakhana. Then, the Cabinet Division determines its value.

Fawad Chaudhry also reiterated that as per law 20% of the gift’s value is to be deposited in the national exchequer but PTI amended that law and made it 50%. He also asserted that the gifts were not sold to Zahoor dismissing the claims made by the businessman.