Sethi barred from foreign travel

8220;This is bizarre8221;, Sethi told PTI over phone from his Lahore office while confirming that he had been stopped from travelling to London where he was going to receive a special award for journalism by Amnesty International tomorrow.

8220;I went to airport to catch a PIA flight to London but I was told my name figure on ECL.. later, some intelligence bureau officials confiscated my passport,8221; Sethi said.

8220;The FIA Federal Investigation Agency police said I cannot proceed,8221; Sethi said after returning home.

Sethi, who was arrested on May 8 by Pakistani intelligence agencies in a pre-dawn raid at his residence for alleged anti-national activities, was released on June 2o after the authorities withdrew charges against him.

Alleging harassment by the Nawaz Sharif government, Sethi said 8220;This could be part of the harassment considering the fact that immediately after my release income tax cases were initiated against me8221;.

Sethi was released from three weeks of unexplained detention only after supreme court took up his case. The authorities however, had said they reserve the right to proceed afresh against him.

Sethi however hoped today8217;s incident might not be part of the government8217;s tirade against him and said that there could be 8220;some misunderstanding somewhere8221; since the army intelligence had returned his passport just two days ago.

He further said that at the airport he was told that the order to put his name on ECL was dated June 2, the day he was released from detention.

8220;I hope it may be an old order which they are still following8221;.

He said that he was trying to ascertain the actual position from the authorities and in the meantime had informed the Amnesty International that he could not make it to the award ceremony in London tomorrow.