Pakistan slaps travel ban on ex-PM Imran Khan amid row with army

World
By William

Federal Investigation Agency bans Khan, his wife and hundreds of PTI leaders from traveling abroad amid standoff with military.

The Pakistani government has banned former Prime Minister Imran Khan, his wife and hundreds of political aides from traveling abroad over a standoff with the country’s powerful military, officials said.

The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), responsible for immigration and border control, has put Khan’s name on its no-fly list, at least two officials confirmed to dpa news agency on Friday.

Khan’s wife, Bushra Bibi, and more than 500 leaders and members of his Pakistani party Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) have also been added to the list, officials said.

“It is standard practice in all cases. Anyone facing trial will not be allowed to leave the country,” one of the officials told dpa.

Khan on Friday “thanked” the government for putting him on the no-fly list.

“I have no plans to travel abroad as I have no properties or businesses abroad nor even a bank account outside the country,” he tweeted in an apparent dig at politicians belonging to Pakistan’s ruling alliance and allegedly owning homes abroad.

Khan’s government also banned several opposition leaders from flying abroad between 2018 and 2022.

The action against Khan comes as legal challenges mount for the 70-year-old former cricketer weeks after his supporters stormed key military installations, including army headquarters in protests against his arrest on May 9.

Dozens of former PTI lawmakers have since distanced themselves from Khan and more than 4,000 of his supporters – including PTI leaders and journalists – have been arrested in a nationwide crackdown.

The government said those who attacked the military installation would be summarily tried by the country’s controversial military courts, a move criticized by national and global rights groups.

An anti-terrorism court in the eastern city of Lahore on Thursday handed over 16 civilians to the army for trial over their suspected involvement in this month’s violent protests.

Also on Thursday, Khan went to the Supreme Court against the deployment of military forces in parts of the country, calling it an “undeclared martial law” and asking the top court to declare the move unconstitutional.

The army was deployed in the provinces of Punjab, Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and the capital Islamabad, due to the May 9 violence.

Several ministers said a proposal to ban Khan’s party is being considered, a move likely to add to political chaos in a country facing looming economic bankruptcy and threats from armed groups.

Since being ousted from power in April last year, Khan has been campaigning for an early general election due to take place in October this year.

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