Pakistan To Impose Travel Ban On Ex-President Zardari

Asif Ali Zardari arrives at a court in Karachi on December 21.

Pakistani authorities say they will impose a travel ban on former President Asif Ali Zardari while investigators complete a probe into allegations of money laundering.

The announcement came as the country marked 11 years since the assassination of former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, Zardari's wife.

Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry told reporters on December 27 that Zardari and 171 others were suspected of money laundering and using of fake bank accounts.

Chaudhry said all 172 would be put on the Exit Control List, barring them from leaving the country.

Zardari, who was president from 2008-13 and is currently a member of the lower house of parliament, is accused of laundering money through fake bank accounts and companies. He has denied any wrongdoing.

During a rally to mark his wife's death, Zardari blasted Prime Minister Imran Khan's government and said the allegations against him were "absurd."

Zardari, co-chairman of the opposition Pakistan People's Party, has long been the subject of corruption allegations and is widely known in Pakistan as "Mr.10 Percent."

Based on reporting by AFP and AP