PTI's Firdous Ashiq Awan offloaded from Dubai-bound flight

• Awan offloaded for using a blue passport "illegally".
• Only officials can use blue passport, says FIA.
• PTI leader Awan's passport has been confiscated.

ISLAMABAD: Authorities on Saturday stopped PTI leader Firdous Ashiq Awan from travelling abroad and offloaded her from a Dubai-bound flight, Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) sources said.

The FIA sources said that the PTI leader was offloaded from the plane for using a blue passport "illegally". They added that Awan was set to travel to the Gulf state from Islamabad International Airport via a private airline.

The official blue passport allows entry to some 70 countries around the world without the formality of a visa, and only government employees and lawmakers are authorised to carry it.

Awan, who was a special assistant to Punjab chief minister during the Usman Buzdar government, was offloaded from the plane for using the official passport for travelling.

According to FIA officials, the blue passport cannot be used by a person who is not a public office holder and has to be returned after quitting office. They said that Awan had not returned the passport.

She was told by the immigration officials that she can not travel on the passport. Later, the FIA confiscated her passport.