Fresh Blow To Imran Khan’s PTI: Pakistan Court Blocks Passports Of KP CM, 24 Lawmakers

Pakistan’s political tensions have intensified ahead of the September 27 PTI protest, with an Islamabad anti terrorism court ordering the blocking of passports belonging to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Muhammad Sohail Afridi and 24 other lawmakers of Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek e Insaf (PTI).

Judge Abul Hasnat Muhammad Zulqarnain passed the order on Monday after allowing a police request and directed the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) to block the passports until further orders. The court said the available record showed that the lawmakers had been named as accused in a case registered in Islamabad.

The order covers senior PTI leader and former National Assembly speaker Asad Qaiser, along with Shahram Khan Tarakai, Shah Ahmad, Sher Ali Arbab, Muhammad Iqbal Afridi, Dr Amjad Ali, Junaid Akbar, Shahid Khattak, Zubair Wazir, Arshad Umarzai, Zar Alam, Mian Omar and Akhtar Khan, among others.

The investigating officer told the court that the accused could flee Pakistan to evade legal proceedings. He also alleged that they were facing serious charges, including attacks on state institutions and promotion of terrorism.

The court noted that the accused had failed to appear before it. It also said those who had obtained interim bail had not yet joined the investigation. The court subsequently ordered that their passports remain blocked.

The development comes as PTI prepares for its September 27 nationwide protest. The Islamabad High Court has directed provincial chief ministers to ensure that government resources and official machinery are not used for the planned march.

Afridi is separately at the centre of a fresh confrontation with Punjab authorities. During his Punjab tour to mobilise support for the protest, he alleged that Punjab Police abducted him, assaulted him and abandoned him on the roadside.

“Punjab Police will have to answer for this action. This is no joke,” Afridi said, calling the alleged treatment of a chief minister by another province’s police “unacceptable”. He also demanded an explanation from the Punjab government.

Punjab authorities have denied the allegation. Punjab Information Minister Azma Zahid Bokhari disputed Afridi’s account, turning the incident into another flashpoint between the PTI led KP government and Punjab authorities.