The countrywide crackdown against the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party continued in full swing on Thursday, as the party’s chief Imran Khan and his wife were put on the ‘No-Fly List’, and 18 members of his party were handed over to the military court to face trial over the May 9 riots. 

At least 80 prominent leaders, apart from Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi, were added to the 'No-fly List', effectively barring them from leaving the country. 

The PTI leaders who have been included are former foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi, Murad Saeed, Maleeka Bukhari, former information and broadcasting minister Fawad Chaudhry, Mian Mehmood ur Rasheed, Asad Qaiser, Atif Khan, Yasmin Rashid, Qasim Suri, Hammad Azhar and others. 

The names were added upon the request of the police, the National Accountability Bureau, and the anti-corruption department to the Ministry of Interior. These leaders are being barred from leaving the country for their alleged role in the May 9 riots. 

Responding to the clampdown, Khan accused the ruling establishment to ‘dismantle’ PTI on the pretext of May 9 arson. 

“Those in PDM (Pakistan Democratic Movement, a coalition of political parties ruling Pakistan) and the journalist community who are cheerleaders for this yazeediyat (cruelty) should know that this is not dismantling PTI but our democracy i.e., our freedom.” 

“However, this attempt to enslave us will fail as we have a politically aware young population who despite media being muzzled gets its information from social media,” he added. 

The protests that erupted on May 9 happened in response to the arrest of Khan in the Al-Qadir Trust case. The unruly supporters and workers of PTI reportedly stormed and torched state installations across the country. The violent protests continued for nearly three days and claimed the lives of at least eight people and left at least a dozen injured. 

For the first time in Pakistan’s history, protesters stormed the army headquarters (GHQ) in Rawalpindi and also torched a corps commander’s house in Lahore. 

The unruly scenes unfolding across Pakistan forced the Shehbaz Sharif-led coalition government to suspend internet services and sent the army to maintain the law and order situation. Holding Khan squarely responsible for the unrest, the police filed three terrorism cases against him. He is on bail till June 2. 

Image Source: Lokmat