Dubai, Dec 5 (PTI) A Dubai-based businessman, who claimed that he bought a multi-million dollar luxury watch gifted to former Pakistan prime minister Imran Khan by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, on Monday said that he wants to return the prized possession to its rightful owner.

The expensive Graff wristwatch, worth USD 2 million, was part of the gifts whose alleged sale landed Khan to the Toshkhana controversy, which resulted in his disqualification from contesting elections after he was charged with making "false statements and erroneous declarations".

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The businessman Umar Farooq Zahoor

has claimed that he bought the watch from Khan through his trusted family friend, Farah Gig, after paying a hefty amount of money.

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However, he now regrets the decision and is willing to part with it to end the controversy surrounding the watch in Pakistan. “As an ordinary Pakistani, and as a token of gratitude toward Saudi Arabia, if given the opportunity, I would like to return this watch to its rightful owner so that this controversy ends once and for all,” Zahoor said in a statement.

He said that he bought the watch with lots of pride because “it is the only piece in the world that has the image of our Holy Kaaba.” He said that he is "extremely unhappy with how the story has unfolded and regrets how his image has been tarnished by the Pakistani media".

“When I came to know it is available for sale, I did not want to miss the opportunity, being worried it may end up in wrong hands especially the way it was marketed in Dubai through various social media platforms,” he said.

There have been numerous allegations and counter-allegations between Pakistan's government and opposition since the news of the Toshakhana sale surfaced in the media.

According to the Pakistani law, overseas presents need to be deposited in the Toshakhana or treasury for valuation before allowing a recipient to keep it. Officials in the government are required to report any gifts they receive, but they have a threshold below which they don't have to disclose the full value. Larger gifts are sent to Toshakhana, although the recipient may be able to buy them back at a discount of up to 50 per cent.

Khan and his wife are said to have retained all 112 gifts from the Toshakhana of the Pakistan Government for a payment of less than 40 million Pakistani rupees.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)