Govt puts scores of PTI leaders on No-Fly List

ISLAMABAD: The federal government on Saturday put scores of important Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leaders on the Exit Control List (ECL), ARY News reported, citing sources.

The formal approval was given for placing the names of 139 PTI leaders on the No-Fly list.

The decision has been taken in the backdrop of the May 9 riots to put the key leaders of PTI on the ECL. The Federal Ministry of Interior has included 139 names of PTI leaders in the list.

PTI’s Founding Chairman, Imran Khan, Vice-Chairman Shah Mahmood Qureshi, former opposition leader Umar Ayub, Fawad Chaudhry, and former leader of the opposition in the Senate, Shibli Faraz, are among those whose names have been placed on the ECL.

Besides that, former KP Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur, Shahyar Afridi, and Usman Dar have also been put on the No-fly list.

Several PTI women leaders have also been put on the ECL, including Shireen Mazari, Zartaj Gul, Musarat Cheema, and Kanwal Shauzab.

Moreover, the main ally of the PTI, Awami Muslim League (AML) Chief Sheikh Rasheed, and his nephew Rashid Shafiq have also been placed on the ECL, along with Tahir Sadiq.

Former provincial law minister Raja Basharat and Wasiq Qayoum, among others, have also been placed on the ECL.

The Punjab Home Ministry recommended the action and forwarded the list to the federal government. The ECL committee has since sent the recommendation for approval to the federal government.

Earlier, Director General Inter-Services Public Relations (DG ISPR) Lt Gen Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry on Friday congratulated the nation on the appointment of Field Marshal Asim Munir as chief of the defence forces of Pakistan while deeply criticizing “poisonous propaganda” against Pakistan Army by a “mentally ill person” and his cronies.

“He who criticizes Pakistan Army and its leadership, is he trying to create space for some other power or force?” asked the DG ISPR.

He was of the view that this “mentally ill” person thinks that Pakistan and its politics revolves around him and only him and if he isn’t in power, the whole system is either corrupt, built on injustice or is mere dictatorship.

Pakistan Army’s spokesperson, Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry said that not only this propaganda and misinformation is released on social media but is happily carried by Indian media outlets like Republic TV, who are known for their anti-Pakistan narrative.

“A woman spoke to Indian media and (while talking about the release of this prisoner) said that the people of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (where PTI is in power) will attack the prison. Indian media these days is running concocted stories about our army chief and is running such propaganda for hours, why? because it is against Pakistan’s armed forces,” said the military’s spokesman.

The DG ISPR said that this same person wants Pakistan to talk to Fitna-Al-Khawarij (Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan) who are daily attacking innocent Pakistani citizens and armed forces’ personnel.

“If this person were there (in power) when India attacked Pakistan in May, he would have asked us to talk to Modi,” quipped Chaudhry.

Lt Gen Chaudhry, expressed strong disapproval of individuals meeting with this specific convict. He argued that whenever someone interacts with “this person,” they immediately set aside all respect for the law, the Constitution, and established rules. Instead, their focus shifts to promoting a narrative actively working against the interests of the state of Pakistan, especially targeting the armed forces and their leadership.

He challenged the political justification for these actions, directly questioning what constitutional provision or legal framework permits going to meet a convicted individual only to emerge and consistently propagate a hostile anti-military narrative.

The General then addressed the common defense of freedom of expression and political activity, specifically citing Article 17 and Article 19 of the Constitution. He emphasized that these rights are not unlimited; the Constitution itself states they are subject to “reasonable restrictions.” Under these restrictions, no activity or expression can be allowed that works “against the security and integrity of the state.” He stressed that the fundamental law of the land explicitly prohibits freedom of expression that undermines the “security, integrity, and defence of Pakistan.”

DG ISPR underscored the lack of legal basis for these interactions, stating the situation is “beyond our understanding.” He implied a profound contradiction: that people are demanding access to a convict who then allegedly uses those meetings to spin a damaging narrative targeting the army and its leadership, which directly violates the very constitutional constraints designed to protect the nation’s security and integrity.

‘We do not represent any political ideology’

DG ISPR Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry said, “We are the Armed Forces of Pakistan. We do not represent any region, ethnicity, religious leaning, political ideology, or school of thought.”

He stated that Pakistan’s armed forces comprise people from every region, sect, language, and background.

“We do not operate on the agenda of any political party, nor do we follow the agenda of any class—middle, poor, or rich,” he added.

The army’s spokesperson said that if anyone attacks the military for personal motives or to push a specific mindset, they will not be spared. “Keep your politics away from the Pakistan Army,” he warned.

He further said that the armed forces respect all political parties and political figures. “No one will be allowed to create a divide between the Pakistan Army and the people,” the DG ISPR declared.

‘No narrative against national security will be allowed’

Without naming the PTI founder, DG ISPR Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry said that whenever someone meets this individual, they set aside the Constitution, the law, and established rules. He stated that the time has come to put an end to negative propaganda.

He questioned, “Which clause of the Constitution, which law, and which political tradition permits such actions? Which political ideology allows the creation of a narrative that undermines the security and defence forces?”

Director General Inter-Services Public Relations said stressed that no narrative targeting national security or the country’s defence institutions will be tolerated. “His politics is over,” DG ISPR remarked.

He added that the Constitution grants freedom of expression to everyone, but this freedom cannot be misused to harm national security or attack state institutions.