Senate body to discuss ECL amendments today

ISLAMABAD: The Senate’s Committee on Interior in its meeting today (Monday) will discuss the proposals to amend the government’s policy on the Exit Control List (ECL).

The meeting of the Senate’s Committee on the Interior will be headed by its Chairman Rehman Malik in which the Interior Ministry will give briefing on the ECL policy of the government with particular reference to the proposals submitted by the parliamentarians.

According to copy of agenda of the Senate’s committee, it will discuss the proposal under which the word ‘competent authority’ shall be substituted with the words ‘federal secretary, Ministry of Interior’. It was proposed that nobody should be placed on the ECL during the inquiry.

It was proposed that nobody should be included in the ECL during investigation unless ordered by the trial court/Supreme Court of Pakistan. It was also proposed that all the names, which have been included in the ECL for the last three years with no decision from any court, may be removed from the ECL with immediate effect.

It was also proposed that there was a need to revisit the rules, criteria, procedures and SOPs for placing anyone’s name on the ECL or Black List where the concerned person should be informed within seven days without affecting his basic human rights.

The other agenda of the Senate body is of consideration of “The Islamabad Capital Territory Prohibition of Interest on Private Loans, Bill 2017” introduced by Senator Sirajul Haq in the Senate. The committee will get briefing on the progress made so far including measures taken to safeguard the cyber-borders security control system in the greater national interest.

The Capital Development Authority (CDA) chairman will brief the Senate’s committee on the organisational structure, functions/working of the CDA and its attached/sub-ordinate departments.