Leader of the Opposition in the Senate Yusuf Raza Gilani was barred from leaving the country at the Islamabad airport. He was leaving for Italy to attend a conference, but the authorities stopped him at the airport, saying that his name was on the Provisional National Identification List (PNIL).
The former PM’s protocol staff had left the airport after the airport authorities checked his passport. Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) leaders have condemned the incident, saying that it was a form of tyranny and oppression.
Gilani’s son Syed Ali Musa Gilani took to Twitter to condemn the incident and said that his father was going to represent the country at a climate summit.
“This is how we treat our leaders, our ambassadors and this is the image of tyranny and oppression that we project to the world,” he tweeted.
Ali Musa Gilani further said, “In the age of innocent until proven guilty and in a self-proclaimed democracy, the leader of the opposition is not allowed to represent Pakistan and lead the delegation of parliamentarians at an international conference. Such is the democracy we live in!”
Senior PPP leader Senator Sherry Rehman also condemned the authorities’ act of barring the former PM from leaving the country, saying that he was going to Rome to head Pakistani delegation of MNAs and senators for a meeting of Inter-Parliamentary Union.
