ISLAMABAD – Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf chairman Imran Khan proceeded to Saudi Arabia after his close confidante Zulfi Bukhari was granted permission by the Interior Ministry to travel for Umrah.
According to a notification issued by the Interior Ministry on Monday, the immigration authorities were ordered to “grant one-time permission to Bukhari for a period of 06 days” to go on religious pilgrimage.
The development came after Bukhari was stopped from travelling to Saudi Arabia today along with party chairman Imran Khan.
According to well-placed sources, the London-based magnate was set to fly to Islam’s holiest land from Rawalpindi via a charter flight along with Imran and his wife Bushra Maneka, but was stopped from boarding the flight as his name was on the Exit Control List (ECL).
The charter flight was ready to take off from Nur Khan airbase, however, travel restrictions on Zulfi delayed the departure.
PTI spokesman Fawad Chaudhry confirmed that Zulfi Bukhari has left for Saudi Arabia.
Imran Khan and his wife are expected to return back to Pakistan ahead of Eid ul Fitr and the primary reason behind Zulfi Bukhari’s troubles is the fact that he owns offshore firms and the National Accountability Bureau has launched investigations against him.
