Imran Khan, spouse Bushra Bibi & 80 other PTI leaders added to no-fly list in Pakistan

Former Pakistan Prime Minister and PTI chief Imran Khan, his spouse Bushra Bibi and 80 other members of his party Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) have been put on a no-fly list, Pakistan media reported on Thursday.

The recent development comes as Islamabad considers the possibility to ban Imran Khan's party, following widespread violence on May 9 due to Khan's dramatic arrest in court. The PTI leaders’ names were added to the Exit Control List (ECL).

Lahore police sent names of 700 PTI leaders to FIA

On Wednesday, the Lahore police sent names of 700 PTI leaders to Pakistan’s Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) requesting them to impose a restriction on their foreign travel for one month, reported Dawn. The FIA has been requested to place their names on the Provisional National Identification List (PNIL) — which temporarily bars people from travelling abroad.

The list sent to the FIA included the names of fashion designer Khadija Shah, PTI’s senior leader Shafqat Mahmood, Imran Khan’s nephew Hassaan Niazi, PTI’s supporter Sanam Javed Khan, who got famous after her protests outside Zaman Park, and others.

A senior FIA official told Dawn the Ministry of Interior has three options to stop a person from travelling abroad. These included the Exit Control List (ECL), Passport Control List (PCL) and the PNIL. The travel restrictions are imposed on those wanted by law enforcement agencies, criminals and terrorists.

He said the PNIL was the initial stage where travel restrictions were imposed for 30 days. Those placed on ECL or PCL are permanently barred from travelling unless their cases were reviewed by the authorities concerned.