Approves adding PTI leaders to travel ban list after reviewing Punjab Home Department recommendations
The Jinnah House (Lahore Corps Commander House), which was set on fire by supporters of former Prime Minister Imran Khan during a protest against his arrest, in Lahore, on May 9, 2023. PHOTO: Reuters/FILE
The federal government has decided to include the names of several Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf leaders in the Exit Control List in connection with cases arising out of the May 9 events, sources told The Express PAkGazette.
According to officials familiar with the development, the government approved adding a number of senior PTI figures to the travel ban list after reviewing the recommendations sent by the Punjab Home Department.
The list reportedly includes Imran Khan, Shah Mahmood Qureshi, Omar Ayub, Fawad Chaudhry, Shibli Faraz, Ali Amin Gandapur, Shehryar Afridi, Usman Dar, Shireen Mazari, Zartaj Gul, Musarrat Cheema, Kanwal Shauzab, Sheikh Rashid, Sheikh Rasheed and retired major Tahir Sadiq.
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Sources said Raja Basharat, Wasiq Qayyum Abbasi and several others have also been banned from leaving the country. The ECL Committee has forwarded the recommendations for final approval in light of the ongoing investigations related to the May 9 riots.
The decision relates to the violent protests that broke out after the arrest of PTI founder Imran Khan on the Islamabad High Court premises on May 9, 2023. The protests led to widespread vandalism and attacks on public and military properties, resulting in hundreds of PTI workers and leaders being booked in related cases.
At least eight people were killed and hundreds injured during the unrest, while some 40 public buildings and military installations were damaged. These included the Lahore Corps Commander’s House (Jinnah House), Askari Tower, General Headquarters (GHQ) in Rawalpindi, ISI office in Faisalabad, FC Fort in Chakdara, Radio Pakistan Peshawar, Swat Highway Toll Plaza and Mianwali Air Base.
Several PTI leaders, including Senate Opposition Leader Shibli Faraz and former federal minister Fawad Chaudhry, are already facing cases related to the riots, as investigations and proceedings continue.
