Immigration officials stopped Zain Qureshi, a former member of the Punjab assembly and the son of the party’s Vice Chairman Shah Mahmood Qureshi, from flying to Dubai from Lahore’s Allama Iqbal International Airport.
When his name appeared on the Provisional National Identification List (PNIL) as he went through the Integrated Border Management (IBM) system, the politician was about to board Emirates Airlines flight EK623.
Qureshi’s name was added to the PNIL on the recommendation of DIG (Legal) Punjab, as he is wanted by the police in connection with the May 9 riots case registered at the Cantt police station in Multan.
The riots on May 9 erupted almost across the country in response to the arrest of deposed Prime Minister Imran Khan in the £190 million settlement case. Hundreds of PTI employees and senior leaders have been imprisoned for their roles in violence and attacks on military installations.
During the protests, miscreants targeted civil and military installations in Rawalpindi, including Jinnah House and the General Headquarters (GHQ). The military declared May 9 to be “Black Day” and decided to prosecute the protesters under the Army Act.
The 37-year-old ex-lawmaker was elected to the provincial assembly after winning Multan’s PP-217 constituency with 46,963 votes last July, giving his party a significant advantage in the Punjab by-elections, in which his opponent, PML-N’s Muhammad Salman Naeem, came in second with 40,104 votes.