Senate panel approves ECL Amendment Bill

ISLAMABAD: The Senate’s Committee on Interior on Monday approved amendment to the Exit Control List Ordinance approving ‘The Exit from Pakistan (Control) Amendment Bill, 2018’. The amended act authorises the secretary, ministry of interior to place or delete the name of a person from the ECL, besides informing the person in advance of the charges for which his name has been included in the list.

The Bill in the Senate was moved by Senator Mian Raza Rabbani in November and the Bill provides in sub-section 2 of section 2 that before making an order of placing a person on the control list, the federal government shall specify the grounds on which the order is proposed to be made and shall communicate such grounds within twenty-four hours of the order to the person or class of person prohibited, while sub-section 3 of section 3 in the Bill states that the federal government shall decide the representation within fifteen days, failing which the order made shall lapse.

The meeting of Senate Standing Committee on Interior was held under the chairmanship of Senator A Rehman Malik here at the Parliament House and was attended by Senators Kalsoom Parveen, Mian Muhammad Ateeq Shaikh, Sardar Muhammad Shafiq Tareen and Haji Momin Khan Afridi. Mian Raza Rabbani was warmly welcomed in the committee and his services as Senate chairman were highly applauded.

Raza Rabbani proposed that in the ECL Act the words “Competent Authority” should be substituted with words “Federal Secretary, Ministry of Interior” for all purposes including placing or deleting the person from the ECL. Rehman Malik said the committee had already proposed necessary amendments to the ECL Act in its meeting on October 22, 2018. He said it is a fundamental right of the accused to be informed in advance, by at least 24 hours before being included in ECL. The Bill was unanimously passed by the committee.

The Chairman Committee Senator A. Rehman Malik said that he had taken notice and has sought a progress report on the sudden devaluation of Pakistani rupee twice i.e. on 09th October, 2018 and on 30th November, 2018 as it adversely affected the economy. He said the FIA was directed to investigate on the guidelines in a detailed letter December 26th, 2018 to identify that there is cartel operating in the country against the economy and the business interests of Pakistan.

He dismissed the impression that taking notice of the devaluation of Pakistani Rupee is the subject of the Senate Standing Committee on Finance alone and said the FIA has the responsibility to regulate and implement the Foreign Exchange Act so it falls under Senate Standing Committee on Interior also.