Islamabad ATC orders FIA to block passports of 24 PTI leaders, including K-P CM Afridi, Omar Ayub

An anti-terrorism court in Islamabad on Monday ordered the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) to block the passports of 24 Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leaders and lawmakers, including Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) Chief Minister Sohail Afridi and Omar Ayub in connection with a case registered at Kohsar Police Station. According to a copy of the court order available to The Express Tribune, Judge Abul Hasnat Muhammad Zulqarnain issued the order after police sought permission to block the passports of the accused. The investigating officer told the court that they could flee the country to avoid legal proceedings and requested that their passports be blocked. Among those named in the order are former speaker of the National Assembly Asad Qaiser, Sher Afzal Khan Marwat, Junaid Akbar, Shahid Khattak, Zubair Wazir and several other PTI lawmakers. "As per available records, all the accused persons [are] implicated with heinous allegations regarding attack on state institutions and advancing terrorism cause. Instant FIR has been registered on 26.11.2026, but accused persons named above have failed to surrender before the court and some accused named above who obtained ad-interim bail from this court had not joined the investigation of instant case till date despite lapse of considerable period," said the order. The court allowed the investigating officer’s request and directed the FIA authorities to impound the passports of the accused persons until further orders.