Imran ‘thanks’ govt for adding his name on ECL

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehrik-e-insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan on Friday “thanked” the siting government for adding his name on the no-fly list and said he had no plans for any foreign travel “because I neither have any properties or businesses abroad nor even a bank account outside the country.”

Imran said that due to these reasons he had no intention of going abroad.

On Thursday, the names of over 600 PTI leaders, including Imran and his wife Bushra Bibi, were added to the no-fly list for their involvement in the May 9 violence, Geo News reported citing sources.

Taking to Twiter on Friday, Imran said: “I want to thank the government for puting my name on the ECL (Exit Control List) as I have no plans to travel abroad, because I neither have any properties or businesses abroad nor even a bank account outside the country.

“If and when I do get an opportunity for a holiday, it will be in our northern mountains, my favourite place on earth.”

In a bid to stop them from leaving the country, their names were sent by the police, the counter-terrorism department (CTD), and intelligence agencies.

Also during the day, Imran has cancelled the basic membership of all leaders and office-bearers who had quit the party during the past few days.

Although several leaders have parted ways with PTI or resigned from its offices in the fallout of the May 9 violence, the most notable among them were Secretary-general Asad Umar, senior vice president Fawad Chaudhry, former federal ministers Shireen Mazari, Aamir Mehmood Kiani and former adviser Malik Amin Aslam.

Imran also ordered the removal of defectors who were part of the party’s core commitee. They will no longer be part of PTI’S Whatsapp groups and the social media accounts will be updated to modify the references of the defectors.

Separately, in a statement, the PTI chairman said his party’s leaders and workers were “facing the full force of state terror”.

The statement was released to mark one year since the PTI workers clashed with the police during the long march towards Islamabad. He said the events of May 25, 2022 “commenced our descent into fascism”.

Khan recalled that while he was in power, the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) parties - who were then in the opposition - held three long marches which “were allowed without any” hindrance by his government. “But we faced the full force of state terror,” he Khan said as he recalled the crackdown on his party’s leadership before the march.