ISLAMABAD: An Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) has ordered the blocking of passports belonging to 24 Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) lawmakers in connection with a case registered at Kohsar Police Station.
ATC Judge Abul Hasnat Muhammad Zulqarnain issued the directive after police sought permission to block the passports of the accused.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi is among those named in the court order. Other prominent PTI lawmakers include Asad Qaiser, Shehram Khan Tarakai, Junaid Akbar, Shahid Khattak, Omar Ayub and Babar Saleem.
The order also names Zubair Wazir, Shah Ahad, Sher Ali Arbab, Iqbal Afridi, Dr Amjad, Arshad Umarzai, Zar Alam, Mian Umar, Akhtar Khan, Humayun Khan, Riaz Khan, Abdul Kabir Khan and Tufail Anjum.
Asif Mehsud, Ajab Gul, Muhammad Usman, Irfan Saleem, Advocate Ali Zaman and Malik Shehab are also among the individuals whose passports have been ordered blocked.
According to the court order, the available record indicates that the accused have been nominated in the case. The investigation officer told the court that the accused could potentially leave the country to avoid legal proceedings.
The court observed that the accused were facing serious allegations, including attacks on state institutions and involvement in activities linked to terrorism.
The ATC further noted that the accused had not appeared before the court. It also observed that those who had secured interim bail had allegedly failed to join the investigation.
After considering the police request, the court approved the blocking of the passports and directed the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) to take the necessary action.
