Imran Khan and PTI Leaders Placed on No-Fly List Amid Riots and Corruption Allegations

PTI Chairman Imran Khan, along with his wife Bushra Bibi and numerous party leaders and activists, have been added to a no-fly list, according to sources reported by Dawn on Thursday.

These individuals have been included in the Provisional National Identification List (PNIL), which serves as a controversial substitute for the Exit Control List (ECL). The decision to add them to the list was made at the request of various federal and provincial government institutions, including the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), the National Accountability Bureau (NAB), and the police.

The PTI leaders, former lawmakers, and workers have been included in the list due to their alleged involvement in the May 9 riots that erupted nationwide following Imran Khan’s arrest, as well as their connection to different corruption cases, as stated by official sources.

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To ensure that none of these individuals can leave Pakistan, the Ministry of Interior has issued an official order sending letters to all airports and exit points across the country.

Prominent PTI leaders featured on the no-fly list include Asad Umar, Fawad Chaudhry, Maleeka Bokhari, Qasim Suri, Asad Qaiser, Murad Saeed, Hammad Azhar, Dr. Yasmin Rashid, and Mian Aslam Iqbal.

The police, counterterrorism departments, provincial anti-corruption departments, NAB, and various intelligence agencies forwarded these names to the federal government to have them placed on the no-fly list.

Sources reveal that many PTI leaders had attempted to fly abroad amidst an ongoing police crackdown but were stopped based on orders from relevant authorities.

On Tuesday, the Lahore police sent over 700 PTI leaders’ names to the FIA, requesting the agency to restrict their foreign travel for a month. The police specifically asked the FIA to place these names on the no-fly list due to their alleged involvement in the May 9 violent protests, during which some military properties were vandalized and set on fire.

The following day, the Rawalpindi district police urged the federal government to include the names of 245 PTI activists, who are currently in FIA custody, in the PNIL.

Since the riots, thousands of PTI workers and leaders have been arrested. Many PTI leaders have gone into hiding to avoid arrest, while some have chosen to leave the party altogether.