Former Pak PM Imran Khan placed in ‘no-fly list’: Report

INTERNATIONAL DESK: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI) Chief and former Prime Minister of Pakistan Imran Khan has been added to no-fly list, Pakistan Media reported on Thursday quoting sources.

“IK (Imran Khan) added in No Fly List,” The Pakistan Daily tweeted quoting sources. The Pakistan Daily is a digital news portal in Pakistan mainly reporting about the political updates of Pakistan.

However, there has been no official confirmation of Imran Khan being added to the no-fly list.

This comes a day after Pakistan Defence Minister Khawaja Asif said that the government is considering imposing a ban on the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) over the incidents that took place on May 9, Dawn reported.

Speaking to media persons in Islamabad, Khawaja Asif said, “A decision has not been taken yet, but a review is surely underway.”

He called the vandalism of military installations across Pakistan on May 9 as “coordinated attacks” planned by PTI chairman Imran Khan, according to Dawn.

Earlier, Dawn reported that the police department had sent the names of 245 PTI activists, including three former members of the provincial assembly, to the federal government for inclusion in the Provisional National Identification List (PNIL), to prevent them from leaving the country.

Attributing it to sources, Dawn wrote on Thursday that the Rawalpindi district police gave around 319 names on their wanted list, and have forwarded the names of 245 PTI activists who are in the custody of the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA). The remaining 74 individuals have yet to be arrested.

Dawn is one of the mainstream media houses of Pakistan that reports national and International issues related to Pakistan.

Dawn had reported that on Tuesday, Lahore police sought the inclusion of 746 PTI leaders in the no-fly list, with the aim of imposing a one-month restriction on their foreign travel. After the request made by the Rawalpindi police, the total number of PTI activists who may be included on the list stands at 991.

Under the PNIL, individuals on the police wanted list are prevented from flying out of the country for 30 days, Dawn wrote quoting a senior police official

After reviewing the cases of those arrested, the police finalised the names of 245 individuals detained during and after the May 9 violence. These names were then sent to the FIA to restrict their travel via air, land or sea routes.

Among those still wanted by the police but yet to be arrested are ex-MPA of PTI Rashid Hafeez, the nephew of Sheikh Rasheed; Fayyazul Hassan Chohan, who was previously arrested and later released; and Umar Tanveer Butt, Dawn reported.

As per the information provided to the federal government, it was revealed that 31 suspects had been arrested by the RA Bazar police in connection with the attack on GHQ, while 27 others wanted by the police are still at large, Dawn reported.

The temporary travel restrictions were proposed by the police after identifying the PTI supporters involved in violent protests through video clips, CCTV footage, intelligence and geo-fencing.

Under the supervision of City Police Officer (CPO) Syed Khalid Hamdani, the police investigation team has arrested 104 suspects in connection with the GHQ attack case, and identification parades for 23 individuals have been completed.

The police have been directed to expedite legal proceedings against those arrested in connection with the May 9 violence, Dawn reported.

In this regard, the police have also requested the Punjab Home Department to constitute a Joint Investigation Team (JIT) to investigate the terrorism-related cases registered under section 7 of the Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA).

A police crackdown is underway to apprehend suspects wanted in connection with these cases.

Meanwhile, the officers stated that two separate teams of police, each supervised by a Superintendent of Police, have been formed to apprehend PTI leaders and activists from Punjab and KP. They added that the Punjab and KP police are being contacted for assistance in arresting the individuals wanted by the capital police in connection with the cases, Dawn reported.

However, the feedback received from the KP police was not encouraging, as per the officers. They explained that the capital police received a response indicating that they are likely to encounter significant resistance during house raids for arrests, as it goes against the local culture for strangers to enter their homes.

Capital police have also requested the interior ministry to put the names of the PTI leaders on the PNIL and Exit Control List (ECL), who are still at large in connection with the cases registered against them over violence in May 2022 and 2023. (ANI)