ISLAMABAD: The federal government has moved to place several senior Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leaders on the Exit Control List (ECL) as investigations intensify into the May 9 violence, officials confirmed on Friday.
Authorities approved the decision after reviewing recommendations sent by the Punjab Home Department. The proposed list includes key PTI figures such as 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, and retired Major Tahir Sadiq.
Sources added that Raja Basharat, Wasiq Qayyum Abbasi and several others have also been barred from travelling abroad as part of the ongoing probe.
The move comes as authorities continue to investigate the May 9, 2023 unrest triggered by the arrest of former prime minister and PTI founder Imran Khan from the Islamabad High Court. The nationwide protests quickly turned violent, leading to attacks on public and military installations.
During the riots, at least eight people were killed and hundreds were injured. Nearly 40 state buildings and military sites were damaged, including Lahore’s Jinnah House, GHQ in Rawalpindi, Askari Tower, Radio Pakistan Peshawar, the ISI office in Faisalabad, FC Fort in Chakdara, the Swat Motorway Toll Plaza and the Mianwali Air Base.
Many PTI leaders, including Senate Opposition Leader Shibli Faraz and former minister Fawad Chaudhry, are already facing multiple cases linked to the violence, while investigations and legal proceedings remain underway.
