Ahsan makes full payment for Toshakhana gifts

ISLAMABAD: Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives Ahsan Iqbal Monday deposited the entire assessed amount of gifts that he retained from Toshakhana during the PMLN government in 2018.

In his letter to the Cabinet Division Secretary Amir Ashraf Khawaja, Ahsan said he had taken three gifts from Toshakhana — a Rolex gents watch, a Rolex ladies’ watch, and a carpet.

The assessed value of the men’s watch was Rs1,550,000, the women’s watch was worth Rs775,000, and the carpet was valued at Rs139,000, according to the letter. In return, he paid Rs304,000, Rs149,000, and Rs20,000 respectively for the aforementioned items.

“I lawfully obtained the [...] articles after payment of the requisite amount to the Cabinet Division,” he said. But he said that even though he was “not required to make any additional payment for the same”, he was paying the remaining amount to dispel “any misplaced allegation or even an iota of doubt that I wrongfully benefitted from the gifts”.

Ahsan deposited a payment of Rs1,991,000 to the national kitty through a cheque. The development came after the federal government in compliance with the orders of the Lahore High Court (LHC) Sunday made public the record of state officials who obtained Toshakhana gifts since 2002.