Opposition Leader in the Senate Yousuf Raza Gilani was stopped by officials from travelling to Rome, Italy, to attend an Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), sources told Bol News on Monday.

Officials, privy to the matter, shared that Gilani was hoping to travel to Italy with his daughter to attend IPU’s Pre-COP26 Parliamentary Meeting. The former prime minister was barred from travelling as his name was on the Exit Control List (ECL), they added.

Meanwhile, sources said that the PPP leader’s daughter was also stopped from boarding the flight as she was using a diplomatic passport.

PPP protests in Senate

Following the development, Gilani’s party — PPP — launched a protest in the Senate against the authorities refusal to allow the former prime minister to board his flight.

PPP Senator Sherry Rehman shared that the former prime minister was travelling to Italy to attend the IPU conference as Pakistan’s representative. She added that Gilani was leading a delegation of five senators and a few National Assembly members.

Senator Rehman alleged that many people who were facing corruption cases have been removed from the ECL and allowed to go abroad but a “different law” is being followed for PPP leaders.

“Yousuf Raza Gilani was going to represent Pakistan in front of legislators from around the world but he was barred from travelling,” lamented the PPP leader.

The PPP stalwart questioned why one former prime minister was allowed to go abroad despite being on the ECL and another was stopped.