Six from Imran’s inner circle put on no-exit list

Ex-PM’s principal secretary, two advisers barred from leaving country

RAWALPINDI:

Six prominent figures in the former Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government, including some bureaucrats, were put on the ‘stop list’ by the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) to prevent them from leaving the country, sources said on Monday.

According to the sources, the FIA had put the names of six people – three bureaucrats and former advisers – in the list. They added that the information about these individuals would be provided to the airports and border security checkpoints.

They are Azam Khan, principal secretary to former prime minister Imran Khan, former advisers Shahbaz Shabbir and Shehzad Akbar, FIA Director Lahore Muhammad Rizwan, former director general Anti-Corruption, Punjab, Gohar Nafees and PTI’s social media team member Arsalan Khalid.

A senior FIA official also confirmed that six people had been placed on the stop list, adding that immigration officials had been told that if any one of them wanted to leave the country they should be stopped.

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The official said that their system was fully computerised, therefore, the names or the lists could be automatically uploaded from the FIA headquarters. He added that when a passenger’s data landed in the system, the FIA immigration could take action.

Talking to The Express Tribune in Lahore, FIA Lahore Director Muhammad Rizwan strongly denied the rumours that he had appointed a blue-eyed officer to the immigration section at the Allama Iqbal International Airport in Lahore.

Rizwan, who was heading the team, which had been investigating important cases, including the sugar scandal, was notified to go on leave on April 8, and his leave was approved from April 11. On the first day of his leave, orders for the transfer of Inspector Shahid Ali to the airport emerged.

Rizwan said that the Lahore director had been responsible for such appointments since 2019, and all the appointed officials were “honest and dutiful”. He added that his leave officially started from Monday, therefore he carried out his official duties till the evening of Sunday.