on Exit Control List over May 9 riots
ISLAMABAD: In a significant development, the federal cabinet on Saturdayapproved the placement of 132 leaders and workers of PakistanTehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) on the Exit Control List (ECL) in connection with theviolent incidents of May 9, 2023, according to official sources.
The decision, taken during a cabinet meeting chaired by the prime minister,was based on a formal recommendation submitted by the Punjab HomeDepartment. The list includes prominent party figures such as PTI founderand former prime minister Imran Khan, former foreign minister Shah MahmoodQureshi, opposition leader in the National Assembly Omar Ayub, formerinformation minister Fawad Chaudhry, and former senator Shibli Faraz.
Other notable names approved for inclusion in the ECL are KhyberPakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur, former federal ministersShireen Mazari and Zartaj Gul, Punjab Assembly member Musarrat Cheema,former MNA Kanwal Shauzab, Awami Muslim League chief Sheikh Rasheed Ahmad,his son Sheikh Rashid Shafiq, Shah Mahmood Qureshi’s son Zain Qureshi,retired Major Tahir Sadiq, former provincial minister Raja Basharat, WasiqQayyum Abbasi, and former state minister Shehryar Afridi.
The move comes more than two years after the widespread violence thaterupted across the country on May 9, 2023, following the arrest of ImranKhan in a corruption case. Enraged supporters of the former ruling partytook to the streets, attacking and vandalising several military andgovernment installations, including the Corps Commander’s House in Lahore,General Headquarters entrance in Rawalpindi, and various airbases andpublic properties. Several structures were also set ablaze during theunrest.
Interior ministry officials confirmed that the inclusion of names in theECL will prevent the listed individuals from leaving Pakistan until furtherorders or removal through due process. Legal experts stated that placementon the ECL is a preventive measure often used in cases involving nationalsecurity and serious criminal charges.
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The decision is expected to intensify the ongoing political confrontationbetween the government and the PTI, which has consistently maintained thatthe May 9 events were a “false flag operation” orchestrated to discreditthe party. PTI leadership has previously announced plans to challenge anysuch restrictions in the courts.
Source:https://www.dawn.com/news/1883456
Tags: Pakistan, PTI, Imran Khan, ECL, May 9, Punjab, Cabinet, Islamabad
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