According to officials familiar with the development, the government has approved adding a number of senior PTI figures to the travel ban list after reviewing recommendations forwarded by the Punjab Home Department.
The list reportedly includes Imran Khan, Shah Mahmood Qureshi, Omar Ayub, Fawad Chaudhry, Shibli Faraz, Ali Amin Gandapur, Shehryar Afridi, Usman Dar, Shireen Mazari, Zartaj Gul, Musarrat Cheema, Kanwal Shauzab, Sheikh Rashid, Sheikh Rasheed, and retired Major Tahir Sadiq.
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Sources said Raja Basharat, Wasiq Qayyum Abbasi and several others have also been barred from leaving the country. The ECL Committee has forwarded the recommendations for final approval in light of the ongoing investigations related to the May 9 unrest.
The decision relates to the violent protests that erupted after the arrest of PTI founder Imran Khan from the Islamabad High Court premises on May 9, 2023. The demonstrations led to widespread vandalism and attacks on public and military property, resulting in hundreds of PTI workers and leaders being booked in related cases.
At least eight people were killed and hundreds injured during the riots, while around 40 public buildings and military installations suffered damage. These included the Lahore Corps Commander’s House (Jinnah House), Askari Tower, General Headquarters (GHQ) in Rawalpindi, the ISI office in Faisalabad, FC Fort in Chakdara, Radio Pakistan Peshawar, the Swat Motorway Toll Plaza and the Mianwali Air Base.
Several PTI leaders, including Senate Opposition Leader Shibli Faraz and former federal minister Fawad Chaudhry, are already facing cases linked to the unrest, as investigations and proceedings continue.