Khan, his wife Bouchra Bibi and other leaders and former assembly members of his Pakistani Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party were reportedly banned from leaving the country on Thursday.
Taking to Twitter, Khan wrote: “I want to thank the government for putting my name on the ECL as I have no plans to travel overseas as I have no properties neither companies abroad nor even a bank account outside the country.”
“If and when I get the chance to vacation, it will be in our northern mountains, my favorite place on earth,” he said.
THE Exit checklist (ECL) is run by the Home Office and deals with people who are not allowed to leave the country due to pending court cases or other reasons.
Earlier, Samaa News reported on Thursday that the Pakistani government has banned Khan, his wife and at least 80 people from leaving the country.
“The federal government has decided to add the names of 80 people, including PTI Chairman Imran Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi, to the no-fly list,” the report said.
Khan, 70, and several senior leaders of his party are facing cases related to the violence that erupted after the PTI leader was arrested on May 9 in a corruption case. On May 9, violent protests erupted after paramilitary Rangers arrested Khan at the premises of the Islamabad High Court (IHC).
Members of his party vandalized a dozen military installations, including the corps commander’s house in Lahore, Mianwali air base and the ISI building in Faisalabad in response to Khan’s arrest.
The crowd also stormed the Army Headquarters (GHQ) in Rawalpindi for the first time.
Police have killed 10 people in violent clashes while Khan’s party says 40 of its staff lost their lives in gunfire from security personnel.
Thousands of Khan’s supporters have been arrested in the wake of the violence that the mighty military has called a “black day” in the country’s history.
Several senior PTI leaders were also arrested following the unrest.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said on Sunday that those implicated in attacks on military installations would be tried in military courts while those accused of attacks on civilian targets would be prosecuted under civilian laws.
Pakistani Defense Minister Khawaja Asif said on Wednesday the government was considering a possible ban on Khan’s PTI party following attacks by its supporters on military installations following the former prime minister’s arrest.
Khan was ousted from power in April last year after losing a vote of no confidence in his leadership, which he said was part of a US-led plot targeting him because of its independent foreign policy decisions on Russia, China and Afghanistan. PTI
