ISLAMABAD: Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed Monday announced placing leader of the opposition in the National Assembly Shehbaz Sharif’s name on the Exit Control List (ECL).
Addressing a press conference here, he said that following the approval of a sub-committee of the federal cabinet to include the name of Shehbaz Sharif on the ECL, the Interior Ministry has implemented that decision.
Sheikh Rashid said that Shehbaz may file a petition for a review of the decision within 15 days.
He said the ministry will make a decision within 90 days of receiving a request for review, adding that the PML-N leader may appear in person, if he so wishes, to make the request.
Speaking in detail about Shehbaz’s name being placed on “blacklist”, Rashid said that it was not the case at all.
“The court’s decision came with regard to a blacklist. Shehbaz Sharif was not on a black list. He was under an order of May 7, 2021,” he said, without further elaborating.
The interior minister said that there are three lists used to prevent someone from traveling abroad: (i) is the blacklist consists of the names recommended by the Passport Office; (ii) is Provisional National Identification List (PNIL), which contains the names of those people added by the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA); and (iii) is the Exit Control List (ECL) which contains the names of those people banned from traveling abroad by the federal cabinet.
He said, the government, following the request of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) has placed the name of the Opposition Leader on the ECL, after a three-member sub-committee, jointly recommended to the government to do so.
He maintained that the NAB was pursuing cases against the opposition leader and had requested the government to not allow Shehbaz Sharif to travel abroad; therefore his name was put on the ECL.
Answering a question regarding the request of the opposition leader to travel abroad on medical grounds, the minister said that his ministry “received no such request by the leader of the opposition stating travel abroad on medical grounds.”
He said that in the past, the government has positively treated such requests on humanitarian grounds.
Speaking about the withdrawal of cases against Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP), the minister said that the government was reviewing the situation.
He said the government is “waiting on word from them”. “They too are allowed to appear in person to request a review.”
Rashid said that 1,677 of those TLP workers who had been arrested under the Maintenance of Public Order (MPO) ordinance have been released from detention.
The minister said there are 280 first information reports (FIRs) registered against TLP and the people nominated in those will “undergo the legal process”.
The minister noted that the opposition can do no harm to PM Imran Khan as he was focused on his mission to bring the country out of crisis.
To a query, Rashid said the entire Islamic world was mourning over the situation in Gaza, adding that a resolution would be tabled in the National Assembly to discuss the prevailing tense situation in Palestine.
The civil and military leadership were on the same page and playing due role for the country’s progress and prosperity, he said, in response to another question. He praised the role of China for convening the United Nations Security Council meeting over the Israel-Palestine conflict.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2021
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