Staff Reporter
ISLAMABAD: The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) has started flexing its muscles to initiate an inquiry against former prime minister Imran Khan in the Toshakhana scandal.
In this regard, the FIA has constituted a five-member committee comprising its officers of Lahore, Islamabad, and Karachi zones for investigation. The investigating committee will seek the payment and sale record of Toshakhana gifts.
In August 2022, National Assembly Speaker Raja Pervaiz Ashraf sent a reference to the Election Commission of Pakistan under Articles 62A, 63A, and 223, seeking former prime minister Imran Khan’s disqualification in the light of the Toshakhana scam.
The disqualification reference was filed by Ali Gohar Khan, PMLN’s Mohsin Nawaz Ranjha, and five others.
The 28-page reference identified 52 gift items of Toshakhana received by the former prime minister Khan, violating the law and rules, taken away at nominal prices, and most of the gifts were sold in the market, including some precious watches.
The assessed value of the gifts has been put at Rs 142,042,100. The gifts were received between August 2018 and December 2021.
Meanwhile, the National Accountability Bureau on Friday took notice of former prime minister and PTI Chairman Imran Khan’s Toshakhana scandal.
According to sources, the anti-graft watchdog would seek the payment and sale record of Toshakhana gifts. The Toshakhana record would also be sought from the cabinet division.
The watchdog would probe the transaction of proceeds received by Imran Khan through sale of Toshakhana gifts.
Sources said that the NAB chairman would form a special team to pursue the case. The team would be instructed to complete the Toshakhana case inquiry against Imran Khan within a specified timeframe. The NAB started retrieving record of the Toshakhana scandal against Imran.
Sources said that it is decided to take action against the former premier after the watchdog received complaints of enormous misappropriations in the gifts offered by foreign dignitaries.
It is expected that legal action would be taken against Imran Khan, Bushra Bibi, and former ministers in the next few days. It has also been decided to include the officials of the previous government in the probe.
Sources revealed that there is a clear difference in the number of declared gifts offered to Imran Khan and the members of his previous cabinet and the money. NNI
