MUZAFFARGARH: The diamond necklace of the Turkish prime minister’s wife, which is at the centre of controversy between the interior ministry and former prime minister Yousuf Raza Gilani, has ‘new claimants’.

The residents of Mahmoodkot and Budh areas say the necklace belongs to them and they should be given right to decide about its status.

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyep Erdogan (who was president of Turkey in 2010), along with his daughter Sümeyye, had visited Mahmoodkot on Oct 13, 2010, with then prime minister Gilani and Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif. At a public ceremony attended by hundreds of flood victims, Erdogan’s daughter gave the necklace to Gilani on behalf of her mother for the flood-affected families.

Gilani thanked the Turkish family and said this necklace would be given to some women of flood-hit areas as their wedding gift.

During the speech, Erdogan had promised a model village, a model hospital and a model school for Muzaffargarh.

“All the promises of the Turkish dignitary had been fulfilled but we have not seen the diamond necklace,” said Nasir Almani, a former union council nazim.

He said Gilani should have spent the auctioned money of the necklace on Mahmoodkot and Budh areas since the necklace was donated and announced here at Mahmoodkot.

Sikandar Gilani, a diehard supporter of the PPP, said Gilani had given unprecedented funds for the rehabilitation of Mahmoodkot and surrounding areas.

“Gilani convinced real estate tycoon Malik Riaz to build Benazir Basti, a model village for the flood-affected people in Sanwan, a nearby town of Mahmoodkot and also brought several other donors to Mahmoodkot for the development of the area,” he said.

He said Gilani had planned to return the necklace to the Turkish president’s wife who was scheduled to visit Muzaffargarh to inaugurate Tayyep Erdogan Hospital last year but she cancelled her tour at the eleventh hour.

He said people of the area demanded that Gilani return the necklace to the Turkish embassy instead of the interior ministry.

Published in Dawn, June 25th, 2015

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