ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for Interior, Shaikh Rashid Ahmed Wednesday said that a sub-committee of the cabinet has recommended placing Shehbaz Sharif’s name on exit control list (ECL) to bar him from travelling abroad as there are cases pending against him.
Speaking at a presser along with adviser to the prime minister on interior and accountability Mirza Shehzad Akbar, Rashid said that the cabinet would accept the recommendation today or tomorrow (Thursday).
He said that when the names of other people accused in different cases are placed on ECL, then Shehbaz could not be given special treatment according to Article 25 of the Constitution.
The minister said that there were three kinds of lists: the blacklist, names for which were decided by the passport office, the PNIL [person not in list], names for which were decided by Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) and the ECL, names for which were decided by federal cabinet.
The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) had sent a request to place Shehbaz’s name on the ECL which was deemed to be correct by a three-member subcommittee of the cabinet, he said, adding that the subcommittee decided unanimously to send a recommendation to the cabinet for approval.
He said that Shehbaz could submit an application within 15 days to the interior ministry against the cabinet’s decision and could also choose to appear personally during the review. After the application was received, he added, the ministry would have to take a decision in 90 days.
The minister claimed that Shehbaz had tried to run away at Sehri – referring to PML-N president’s attempt to take a flight to Qatar last week which he was not allowed to board – as Hudaibiya Papers Mills (HPM) case was being reopened.
Last week, Prime Minister Imran Khan had directed his legal team to ensure fresh investigation into the Hudaibiya Papers Mills case against former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, Shehbaz Sharif and other members of the family. The government had also decided to challenge the recent Lahore High Court (LHC) decision to grant bail to the opposition leader along with permission to go abroad for medical treatment.
The Hudaibiya Papers Mills case involving Rs1.242 billion had been initiated in March 2000, with the Sharif brothers said to be the main accused, when the NAB authorities moved a reference.
Maryam Nawaz, Hussain Nawaz, both children of the ex-premier, as well as Ishaq Dar were among other accused.
The interior minister also spoke about the progress on the review of a ban on Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP). He said the government is waiting on word from them. “They too are allowed to appear in person to request a review,” he added.
The minister 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.
He said that there are 280 first information reports (FIRs) registered against TLP and people nominated in those will undergo the legal process.
Speaking on the occasion, Akbar said that an impression was being built the Hudaibiya Papers Mills case could not be opened again.
“It is the law, even besides this case, that if any new evidence is found that was previously not part of the case, the closed case can be reopened,” he claimed.
The PML-N has become an expert at misleading in the last few years, Akbar said, adding they are building the narrative that they were acquitted in the Hudaibiya Paper Mills case which is not true.
The adviser said the PML-N leaders would have been considered acquitted if the trial had proceeded, adding the case was closed on technical grounds, but we can not let it go as its “mother of all money laundering cases in the country”.
He said the case had never gone to trial because the Sharifs made a deal and fled to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia in 2000. The LHC decision stated that neither the NAB nor the federal government wanted to pursue the case so it was closed on technical grounds, he added.
“The institution that should have appealed did not do so in time and when it did after years, of course, the Supreme Court said the time had passed. This is why the case was closed. Factually, it has not ended,” he added.
He shared that the government’s legal team, the attorney general as well as private counsels believed the case could be reopened because “we have evidence”.
“Crime was committed. A lot of money laundering was done in the Qazi family’s name and the Sharif Empire was set up. The Sharif Empire progressed in two different decades – in the 90s and after 2000”.
Akbar said that other cases related to the Sharifs would also be reopened, and the case was closed but the crime exists, adding their attempts to flee are increasing and the government will take action on that as well.
He said the subcommittee had made the recommendation to place Shehbaz’s name on ECL because a case against him was ongoing at an accountability court in Lahore.
Other cases, he added, including the Ramzan Sugar Mills case, Chaudhry Sugar Mills case and other investigations by the FIA were ongoing against Shehbaz.
“If Shehbaz Sharif was allowed to leave, all these cases would have faced delays and would be an infringement on the rights of the co-accused in the cases,’ he added.
After obtaining bail, Shehbaz Sharif was about to fly to London on May 8 when an FIA team at the airport stopped him from travelling on the ground that his name had been on the list of persons barred from leaving the country.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2021