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Friday March 29, 2024

Federal cabinet gives green signal to remove Nawaz's name from ECL: sources

The meeting is being presided over by Federal Law Minister Farogh Naseem

By Web Desk
November 12, 2019

The federal cabinet gave the green signal to remove former prime minister Nawaz Sharif's name from the ECL, sources told Geo News, on Tuesday. 

Earlier, a meeting of the cabinet committee had failed to arrive at a decision regarding the matter.  However, after the sub-committee reaches a final decision on the matter, further approval from the federal cabinet will not be required.

The former prime minister will have to deposit security bonds in order to leave the country. A conditional approval to remove Nawaz's name from the no-fly list has been given by the government, claim sources. 

According to Geo News, the  meeting  presided over  by Federal Law Minister Farogh Naseem would resume at 9:30 PM.

 The committee was discussing an application filed by the PML-N President Shehbaz Sharif seeking removal of Sharif's name from the ECL on humanitarian grounds.

During the hearing today, the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) refused to give an opinion on the issue, saying that the federal cabinet had the authority to remove anyone’s name from the no-fly list.

The NAB said it had no objection to the government’s letter and neither had it given approval for it.

A personal physician of the former prime minister as well as PML-N’s Deputy Secretary Attaullah Tarrar are also part of the meeting along with Special Assistant to PM on Accountability Shahzad Akbar.

Sources told Geo News that government officials in the meeting were of the opinion that a clear answer by NAB was needed before Sharif could fly abroad.