Former PM Yousuf Raza Gillani barred from flying abroad

LAHORE: Former prime minister Yousaf Raza Gillani was barred from flying abroad at Lahore airport on Wednesday night, ARY News Reported.

Sources said that the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) stopped the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) leader Yousaf Raza Gillani from leaving the country.

Yousaf Raza Gillani along with Faisal Karim Kundi arrived at the Allama Iqbal International Airport to leave for Bangkok via a private airline, when the officials at the immigration counter told Gillani that his name had been on the Exit Control List (ECL).

After being informed that his name was placed on ECL, Yousaf Raza Gillani left the airport around 11:45 pm, said the sources.

Earlier, officials from the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) on December 11 had offloaded leader of the opposition in the Punjab Assembly Hamza Shehbaz from a foreign airline’s flight at Lahore airport.

Hamza was traveling to Doha when he was made to disembark from the flight at the Allama Iqbal International airport. Sources had confirmed that the PML-N leader was offloaded from the flight because of a NAB case pending against him.

A spokesperson for the Sharif family had said that Hamza was stopped at an immigration counter at the airport over his name included in the blacklist, adding that neither was he required by NAB nor any other institution.