ISLAMABAD: The Senate Standing Committee on Interior on Monday expressed grave concern over the use of Exit Control List (ECL) and Black List and called for stopping its unreasonable use.
While discussing the matters of Immigration and Passport Office, the Committee expressed concerns on how the black list is being managed. The chairman recommended that in presence of the Exit Control List (ECL), the current black list should not be used for criminal cases; instead it should only pertain to offences related to passports. He said blacklist has no legal status and neither anyone should be included in blacklist on the desire or complaint of someone rather that court order.
The committee also suggested changing the name of the list from black list to restrictive list and called for the administrative minister to be in-charge for deciding the cases of adding or removing names from the list instead of taking it before cabinet for every case.
Senator A Rehman Malik asked the interior ministry to formulate compact rules and criteria for placing anyone’s name on the ECL and black list, adding that it is the basic responsibility of concerned authority/department to inform the accused person before placing his name either on ECL or black list within the week.
He said that it is the right of accused to have prior information before traveling so that one can avail oneself of the legal right to appeal. Senator A Rehman Malik also directed the DG Immigration and Passport to provide the facility of printing passports for oversees Pakistanis in their respective country as oversees Pakistanis are backbone of the country’s economy and they should be facilitated maximum.
Director General Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) was directed to submit a detailed report to the committee about the corruption cases in Immigration and Passport department.
Meanwhile, the National Counter Terrorism Authority (Nacta) told the Senate’s Committee on Interior that it has forwarded 12 threat alerts to the federal and provincial interior ministries and other law enforcement agencies which include six threat alerts to heads of political parties by name and other alerts about senior leadership.
These six people include Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Chairman Imran Khan, ANP President Asfandyar Wali, Chief of PQP Aftab Sherpao, senior leader of the JUI-F and KP ex-chief minister Akram Khan Durrani, senior leader of the ANP and KP ex-chief minister Ameer Haider Hoti, Talha Saeed, and other threats are about senior and top leadership of Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N).
Chairman of Senate’s Committee Senator Abdul Rehman Malik while expressing grave concerns over the threats directed the Ministry of Interior to provide full security to the party heads and those for whom threat alerts were issued.
The Senate’s Committee on Interior meeting was held under its Chairman Senator A Rehman Malik here at the Parliament House on Monday and was attended by Senator Rana Maqbool Ahmed, Secretary Interior, Additional Secretary Interior, DIG Security Islamabad Police, Deputy Commissioner Islamabad, DIG South Karachi, Nadra chairman, Acting DG Immigration and Passport among others.
Rehman Malik asked the Interior Ministry to ensure full security in Islamabad Capital Territory and to write to the provincial home departments as well as IGPs to take cognizance of these serious threats and take measures as required.
He directed the Nacta and Ministry of Interior to hold the meeting with the top leadership of the political parties and brief them about the issuance of the threat alert.
The committee took strong notice of the fact that Pakistan has been categorized in the Grey list by FATF and condemned the act by calling it a mischievous act of Indian lobby.