Zardari has ‘solid place’ on ECL: Fawad

ISLAMABAD: Information and Broadcasting Minister Fawad Chaudhry Thursday said the federal cabinet had reviewed as many as 172 names on the Exit Control List (ECL) out of which 32 cases had been sent to the review committee, insisting that Nawaz Sharif and Asif Ali Zardari’s politics was over. Briefing journalists about the cabinet meeting, the minister said Zardari had a solid place on the ECL list and that his name was not included in 32 cases sent for review.

He said whenever Zardari was asked about his wealth, he would respond that they would not allow anyone to touch the 18th Amendment. “There are certain very good amendments in this piece of legislation, whereas on some there is a need for consultations, as they have caused big harm,” he said.

Fawad said during the cabinet meeting, Prime Minister Imran Khan talked about Pakistan’s phenomenal success on the foreign policy front and that Pakistan had become a significant player in the Middle East. Regarding the foreign policy initiatives, the minister said the PTI government had changed the direction of Pakistan's foreign policy in the best interest of people. He said the Pakistan-US relationship was on the upward trajectory, while the situation in Afghanistan was improving. He said after a span of as many as 12 years, a top United Arab Emirates leader had visited Pakistan, while Saudi Crown

Prince Muhammad bin Salman’s upcoming visit would vindicate Pakistan’s position in the Middle East. The minister said the prime minister had the vision to put Pakistan in a strategic position between China and India.

On the issue of Afghanistan, he said, the United States, for the first time, was following Pakistan’s point of view, as Prime Minister Imran had always said that war was no solution to the issue. He said Pakistan had played an important role in bringing both the US and the Taliban to the negotiating table and was hopeful of good news coming from Afghanistan soon.

He said e-visa facility was being provided to 175 countries, whereas citizens of 98 countries could avail themselves of business visa facility.

He said journalist visa for Pakistan would be made easy. However, he noted that visa-on-arrival facility would not be available to India and it would remain in Category-B. The minister said a supplementary grant had been approved for the Prime Minister's Youth Training Programme.

He said the Karachi Infrastructure Development Company will now function under the Cabinet Division. Fawad said Prime Minister Imran Khan will directly monitor development activities in Karachi.