In line with the cabinet’s decision, the interior ministry has placed names of all the accused and co-accused – including PPP MNA Jam Abdul Karim – in the Nazim Jokhio murder case on the Exit Control List.

The PPP MNA and his brother, MPA Jam Awais, are key suspects in the torture and murder case of Nazim Jokhio. The family of the victim has accused both the brothers and their henchmen of killing Jokhio for resisting the hunting of the Houbara bustards by the lawmakers’ foreign guests in November 2021 in Achar Salaar village on the outskirts of Karachi’s Malir district. Jokhio, 27, was found dead at the Malir farmhouse of the MPA on November 3, 2019. Although Awais had been arrested, his elder brother had fled to the UAE.

Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid, who had earlier hinted at taking such a decision, shared the development in a tweet on Saturday. He said the ECL committee of the cabinet took the decision in its meeting. Moreover, he added that the Federal Investigation Agency has been further directed to issue a red warrant through Interpol to arrest the PPP MNA from Dubai.

Jam Abdul Karim’s name made the buzz in the political arena after media reports that the PPP lawmaker was returning from Dubai to Pakistan for casting his vote in the National Assembly on the day of the no-trust vote against Prime Minister Imran Khan.

According to media reports, Karim on Friday was granted a 10-day protective bail by the Sindh High Court in the murder case of Nazim Jokhio. However, the interior minister denied receiving any protective bail, adding that the order could only be issued to those accused who were in the country.

“We will arrest him from the airport and hand him over to Sindh police. We have not received any notice (about bail). I have spoken to the Sindh inspector general of police. The MNA’s name was already on the PNIL,” Rashid said while addressing a press conference on Saturday.

In a letter to the Federal Investigation Agency on Saturday, Sindh Governor Imran Ismail had also asked the agency to arrest PPP MNA Jam Abdul Karim upon his scheduled return to the country from the UAE on March 29.

“Jam Abdul Karim is accused in the murder of Nazim Jokhio murder and he is staying in Dubai after fleeing abroad. I have heard that he is trying to return to Islamabad to attend the [NA] session. Today, I have written a letter to the FIA DG to conduct an inquiry as per the law,” Ismail said in a video statement.

He urged the agency to arrest Karim upon his landing at the airport and hand over him to Sindh police because the lawmaker was accused of “gruesome murder”.