The court directs the FIA to appoint officers who would explain who had added the names to the no-fly list
ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) Tuesday suspended an order of the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) to add former prime minister Imran Khan's six aides to the no-fly list soon after the removal of the PTI government.
PM's former principal secretary Azam Khan, ex-special assistant to PM on political communication Shahbaz Gill, ex-adviser to PM on interior and accountability Shahzad Akbar, Director-General Punjab Gohar Nafees, PM’s focal person on Digital Media Dr Asralan Khalid and DG Federal Investigation Agency Punjab Zone Mohammad Rizwan's names have been added to the list, sources added.
Shehzad Akbar and Shahbaz Gill had filed separate petitions at the IHC challenging the FIA's move to add their names to the watch list in court. They had pleaded that there is no case against them and therefore the ban should be lifted.
At the outset of the hearing, the bench inquired on whose orders, the names were included in the list. The court directed the agency to appoint officers who would explain who had added the names to the no-fly list.
The court, after a brief hearing on the petition, suspended the order and issued notices to the DG FIA and Home Secretary and adjourned the hearing till 10:30am tomorrow.
Earlier, in a conversation with the media outside the court, Shehzad Akbar said that action has started by the “imported government” against the PTI members.
“The no-confidence motion was not even voted by then. Who put his name on the list that night? The name was put on the stop list when there was no cabinet, no government, no prime minister.”
He said that they are not going anywhere.
“We are standing with our leader Imran Khan. I am not even an overseas Pakistani.”