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When the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaaf was struggling for power on the streets of the country, they promised to bring change/tabdeeli, in a manner that nobody had precedented. They vowed of living with simplicity and austerity, of turning Pakistan into ‘Madina ki Riyasat’.
Many might say that the PTI government is far from turning Pakistan into a state like Madina of the old times, but hey, little steps in the right direction do count.
Our leaders, ever since the country’s inception, have been very fond of taking personal presents, making assets out of thin air and then usually boasting about them too. However, it seems that PM Imran Khan just set new standards to the way a leader should behave.
During Imran Khan’s trip to Saudi Arabia and his meeting with different Saudi officials, including the Crown Prince Muhammad Bin Salman, Khan was treated with respect, along with being promised aid for Pakistan.
The Crown Prince Muhammad Bin Salman was so moved with his meeting with Imran Khan, that the next King of Saudi Arabia ended up gifting him an extremely expensive watch, which was not related to Pakistan, but a personal gift. The gift was a watch worth Rs. 1.65 Crore, designed by the famous Swiss watchmaker, Chopard.
As per reports, the watch was from Swiss watchmaker Chopard’s Happy Sport 36 MM Automatic that comes with 18-carat rose gold, stainless steel, and diamonds – indeed, a luxurious gift.
Whenever we get a gift, we keep it close to our hearts. If it’s an expensive gift, we hardly let anyone know about it. However, when Imran Khan returned home to Pakistan, the first thing he did was donate the Rs. 1.65 Crore Chopard watch to the National Treasury of the country, something nobody in the history of Pakistan has done before.
Many leaders have been conferred with luxurious gifts in the past, but none of them has been selfless enough to throw an asset into the laps of the people of Pakistan. Usually, they would take some more from the National Treasury if nobody was looking (which nobody usually was).
This move of Imran Khan somehow has gone potentially unnoticed on the internet and social media. People usually do not spare a minute when it comes to slating the PTI and their leader over a minor issue, but a move as grande and austere as this deserves to be highlighted as much as it can be.
In 2010, the Turkish first lady had given PM Yusuf Raza Gillani some of her jewellery to donate to the flood victims. However, the ornaments never made it to the flood relief drive, neither to the state treasury. The gifts, as reported, were taken by Gillani’s family.
