Imran's name added to Exit Control List to prevent him from going abroad

Pakistan authorities have put Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan's name on the 'Exit Control List' (ECL) to prevent him from travelling abroad as a consequence of the 190 million pound settlement case, media reports said on Monday.

The former Prime Minister who had been ousted via a vote of no-confidence last year has been facing a slew of cases, including the infamous 190 million pound settlement case related to the transfer of multi-million pounds from the UK's National Crime Agency (NCA), in which his wife Bushra Bibi is also an accused, Geo News reported.

Khan had been arrested by the Rangers from the Islamabad High Court (IHC) premises earlier this month in the same case, which triggered countrywide violent protests.

The sources said that Khan's name has been put on the no-fly list as per the recommendation of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB), Rawalpindi, after the federal cabinet's approval for the circular summary, Geo News reported.

They said that the decision to place the former first lady's name on the ECL has also been taken and the anti-graft watchdog will write to the Interior Ministry in this regard.

It may be noted that the names of Khan and Bushra Bibi, along with over 600 PTI leaders and former Assembly members, had been added to the no-fly list as per the Federal Investigation Authority's (FIA) orders for alleged involvement in the May 9 violence.

However, the former premier, after being restricted from leaving the country, had thanked the government for doing so, saying that he had no plans to travel abroad, Geo News reported.