Why Hamza stopped from going abroad, asks Senate body

ISLAMABAD: The Senate Functional Committee on Human Rights on Wednesday questioned why Leader of Opposition in Punjab Assembly Hamza Shahbaz was stopped from going abroad, if his name was not included on the Exit Control List.

Presided over by its Chairman Senator Mustafa Nawaz Khokhar, the meeting was briefed by the Additional Secretary Interior about the procedure of putting names on ECL. He informed the forum that the federal government issued directions for inclusion of anyone’s name on ECL.

However, when he said that the name of Hamza Shahbaz was not in the ECL, Mustafa Nawaz questioned, if his name was not on ECL, then why was he stopped from proceeding abroad.

The chairman of the committee asked the Secretary Interior and DG FIA to come to the next meeting and explain the procedure adopted to place names of individuals on the Exit Control List and also brief the committee about any and all such lists maintained openly or secretly, which prohibit people from leaving the country without their knowledge of being in the list.

The chairman also talked about a black list and sought explanation about the methodology inclusion of any person’s name in this very list. Minister for Human Rights Dr. Shireen Mazari also said that the name of Hamza was, though not on ECL, he was barred from flying out of Pakistan, as desired by the National Accountability Bureau, which contended there was a possibility that he might not return, once left the country.

Senators Keshoo Bai, Dr Mehr Taj Roughani, Hidayatullah, Sana Jamali, Muhammad Usman Khan Kakar, Ayesha Raza Farooq, Minister for Human Rights Dr Shireen Mazari, former Senator Farhatullah Babar, MNA Mohsin Dawar and MNA Ali Wazir attended the meeting, among others.

The committee took up the re-tabling the Anti-Torture Bill, which was presented by Senator Farhatullah Babar in 2014 and, was passed by the Senate but it had lapsed due to delay in the National Assembly.