Former prime minister Yousuf Raza Gilani was barred from leaving the country via Lahore Airport, media reported.
According to official, Gilani was stopped at the immigration counter by Federal Investigative Agency (FIA) officials because of the ongoing investigation against him in the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) cases for which his name has been placed on the blacklist.
According to official, Gilani was departing the country to attend an international conference, along with former deputy speaker National Assembly Faisal Kareem Kundi.
In his response, Gilani said that he could never think about leaving the country. “I had visited Nepal one and a half months earlier to attend the Asia Pacific Conference,” said Gilani, adding that today, I was going to Seoul via Bangkok.
“My basic human rights have been violated by barring me from travelling, despite the fact that I had informed the NAB judge regarding my World Summit departure.”
The former premier said that the Foreign Office and the Ministry of Interior had been aware of his foreign tour. “I have been appearing before the courts and facing the allegations against me,” said Gilani, adding that the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government should stop disgracing basic human rights and give up the politics of revenge since it is not good for Imran Khan himself.
A Naya Pakistan cannot be built by curbing the freedom of expression, the former premier said. “If a former prime minister faces coercion so how would a common man get protection?”
Reaction
The former premier’s children took to the microblogging website Twitter to express their displeasure over the incident.
My father Yusuf Raza Gilani was stopped at Lahore airport while going to Seoul for World Summit 2019, where he was the keynote speaker. His name is Not in the ECL, as he travelled to Nepal a few weeks ago. He received no letter whatsoever informing hi… https://t.co/0SS0glUK5v
— Fiza Batool Gilani (@Fiza_Gilani) February 5, 2019
I condemn the govt for putting @YR_Gillani name on ecl and he was stopped at the airport while leaving for Seoul to attend world summit.
— Ali Haider Gilani (@ahaidergilani86) February 5, 2019
This is a vindictive act of the selected govt constantly targeting their opponents 2/2
— Ali Haider Gilani (@ahaidergilani86) February 5, 2019
