Govt revokes diplomatic passports of PTI leaders

The federal government on Saturday revoked the diplomatic passports of Shah Mahmood Qureshi, Asad Umar, Pervez Khattak, Sheikh Rashid and six other political leaders associated with the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI).

The move comes amid a slew of incarcerations, legal harassment and defamatory public campaigns against the PTI and its top leadership.

The past week has seen several PTI leaders, including Fawad Chaudhry, Dr Shireen Mazari, Fayyazul Hassan Chohan, Malik Amin Aslam, Mahmood Moulvi, Amir Kiani, Jai Prakash, Aftab Siddiqui and Sanjay Gangwani, announcing their exit from the party.

Some leaders, like Mazari and Fawad, have also announced a break from politics altogether.

Rumours were rife that Qureshi, who has been incarcerated since May 11, with the local police maintaining ignorance over his whereabouts before the Islamabad High Court, might quit the party soon. The court was informed by Attorney General for Pakistan Mansoor Usman Awan that Qureshi was being held at Adiala Jail.

Meanwhile, former federal minister Asad Umar announced his resignation from his position as the PTI secretary general on May 24 shortly after his release from Adiala Jail.

Umar, however, clarified that he was not parting ways with the PTI.
Other PTI leaders whose passports had been revoked by the Directorate of Passport and Immigration include Aun Abbasi, Ali Amin Gandapur, Ali Muhammad Khan, Farrukh Habib, Zartaj Gul and Azam Khan Swati.