PESHAWAR, Feb 9: The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) has registered a case against former NWFP chief minister Aftab Ahmad Sherpao, under the Passport Act, for his alleged illegal exit from Pakistan two years ago.

The accused was produced before the court of Judicial Magistrate Adil Akber early on Saturday morning, and was sent to judicial lock-up. The court fixed Feb 21 for next hearing.

Sources told Dawn that after Mr Sherpao had returned back from the United Kingdom after ending his self-imposed exile on Jan 6, certain queries were put to him by the FIA Passport Cell as to how he went out of the country, and whether his documents were valid or not.

He was produced before the court of Magistrate Azeemullah Mashwani in the same case two weeks back, and was remanded into judicial custody for 14 days. The FIA has reportedly charged him of illegal exit from the country.

As Mr Sherpao was brought to the court secretly, therefore none of his party’s activists turned up there. Even his counsel was not informed about his production in the court .

The accused is facing trials in three accountability references, and his appeal against the conviction in absentia has been pending before the high court.