Former religious affairs minister booked for 'inciting hate'

A sedition case has been filed against former federal minister Pir Noorul Haq Qadri in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa for allegedly raising hate-inciting slogans against state institutions and the judiciary, it emerged on Saturday.

The case was registered on June 22, 2023, against an FIR lodged by a resident of the Shakas area of Jamrud, Khyber District.

According to the complainant, Qadri, the religious affairs minister under the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government, used "immoral speech" and incited citizens against the Pakistan Army and the judiciary and raised hateful slogans.

Read PTI leaders on a legal rollercoaster

Qadri is reportedly in Saudi Arabia for Hajj pilgrimage after his name was removed from the no-fly list earlier this week.

On Thursday, the Peshawar High Court disposed of a plea filed by Qadri against his name being included in the country’s no-fly list.

During the hearing, Qadri’s counsel informed the court that the former minister was due to travel to Saudi Arabia for Hajj pilgrimage and the last flight for the same would depart on June 23. The deputy attorney general informed the court that the former minister’s name has been removed from the no-fly list and he is free to travel.