Islamabad – In a recent development, the diplomatic passports of ten members of the former Prime Minister Imran Khan’s cabinet have been revoked more than a year after the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government was removed from power. The cancellation of the passports came to light on Saturday.
According to a notification issued on May 24 by the Director General of Immigration and Passports, the authorities have made the decision to cancel and deactivate the passports of nine Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leaders and the Chief of the Awami Muslim League (AML) as they are no longer considered entitled to hold diplomatic passports.
Among the PTI leaders whose passports have been cancelled are Aon Abbas Bappi, Shah Mehmood Qureshi, Asad Umar, Pervez Khattak, Ali Amin Gandapur, Ali Muhammad Khan, Farrukh Habib, Zartaj Gul, Azam Khan Swati, and AML Chief Sheikh Rashid Ahmed. These politicians were all part of Imran Khan’s cabinet during his tenure as Prime Minister from 2018 to 2022.
Upon learning of the revocation of his diplomatic passport, AML Chief Sheikh Rashid Ahmed claimed that he had served as a federal minister on sixteen occasions and had maintained a clean record regarding corruption. He further asserted that unlike Zardari, Nawaz, and Dar, he had not fled the country, yet his citizenship and passport had been cancelled.
The cancellation of diplomatic passports for these former cabinet members has raised questions about the reasons behind this decision and the implications it may have for their future travel and diplomatic privileges.