Pakistan Peoples Party lawmakers on Wednesday accused the government of using Exit Control List (ECL) as a tool for political victimisation and demanded that name of the party Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari must be removed from the no-fly list. Speaking on the floor of National Assembly, PPP legislator Shazia Marri said the government is committing contempt of court by not removing the name of Bilawal from the ECL.
The PPP members protested against the government's move and demanded that the attorney general be summoned to the Parliament to give his view on the matter. PPP MNA Naveed Qamar pointed out that Chief Justice Saqib Nisar, who is heading the bench hearing the suo motu case regarding fake bank accounts, is retiring on January 17, questioning if the government is waiting for him to leave office.
Qamar said that names of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf members were removed from the ECL within 24 hours, adding that the ruling party member Liaquat Jatoi's name was also placed on the no-fly list but he is travelling abroad with impunity. Supporting the PPP's demand, PML-N leader Shahid Khaqan Abbasi said the government's motive behind placement of name of Bilawal on the no-fly list is not clear. He said the government should have removed his name from the ECL to show generosity, without waiting for written orders of the apex court.
Responding to the points raised by the opposition members, Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi admitted that the government had shown haste in placing the names of 172 people on the ECL. "We showed haste in placing the names on the ECL but the government does not want to do anything in a rush now," he added.
Qureshi said that the matter was discussed in a federal cabinet meeting and the government had decided to wait until the detailed verdict is released. He clarified that apex court had directed the government to review its decision on the ECL, instead of removing the names from the no-fly list immediately.
"The government has not refused to remove the names from the ECL; it has only sought time," he said while urging the opposition to show patience on the matter. Meanwhile, MNA Mohsin Dawar raised the issue of enforced disappearances, saying that a young man, who had allegedly been picked up from North Waziristan, was found dead.
He also regretted that former Malir SSP Rao Anwar who is accused of killing four innocent men in a fake encounter had been set free by the court. Minister for Human Rights Dr Shireen Mazari informed the House that the government is working on the issue of enforced disappearances and hoped that the opposition will support the legislation in this regard. She said Minister of State for Interior Shehryar Afridi would brief the Parliament on the developments in Tahir Dawar's murder investigation. The minister agreed that Rao Anwar should be punished for his crime, urging the government to look into the issue.