Nawaz still on ECL

ISLAMABAD: Amid strong rumours that former premier Nawaz Sharif may leave the country for medical treatment anytime soon, Minister for Interior Brig (R) Ijaz Shah claimed on Thursday that Nawaz Sharif's name was not on the Exit Control List (ECL).

But solid facts, Geo News gathered on authority, tell a different story later equally endorsed by the interior minister himself that the former premier's name was on the active travel-barred-list.

Ijaz Shah agreed with Geo News' findings that "Nawaz Sharif’s name is on the active ECL, both in the ministry and airport and FIA's record. Issue was not discussed even in last two cabinet meetings -- two federal ministers confirmed on the record to this correspondent. The Ministry for Interior itself, under Supreme Court’s order and (ECL) new rules, can't remove anyone’s name from the ECL.

Officials familiar with the development told this correspondent that neither any summary was forwarded to the federal cabinet pertaining to aforementioned issue nor there was any such move seeking removal of Nawaz Sharif's name from the ECL.

"His name is still on the ECL," confirmed a senior official of the Ministry of Interior who said that the minister for interior might not be well aware of this matter. Nawaz Sharif’s name was put on ECL after the federal cabinet decided to put five accused, Nawaz Sharif, Maryam Nawaz Sharif, Hussain Nawaz Sharif, Hassan Nawaz Sharif and Ishaq Dar, on the ECL on August 20, 2018 who were wanted for corruption trial links to Panama Papers. But later on, Nawaz Sharif, Maryam Nawaz and Capt (R) Muhammad Safdar requested the Interior Ministry in October 3, 2018 to remove their names from the ECL. But, the Interior Ministry earlier this year silently rejected this application. All the three in their applications separately stated that the grounds to prohibit a person proceeding from Pakistan to a destination outside the country as provided in the rule 2 of the Exit from Pakistan Rules 2010 are not applicable to the applicants. The NAB requested the Ministry of Interior in June 2018 to put Sharifs’ names on the ECL. Neither the NAB nor Nawaz Sharif dropped any application in any court for removal of Nawaz Sharif’s name from the ECL, the sources said. The NAB had taken position that cases of Nawaz and Maryam Nawaz are under trial so the authority cannot even think of such move which leads to removal of their names from the ECL, a senior NAB official told this correspondent. On the other hand, after the eight weeks long bail of Nawaz Sharif, the federal govt still has the powers to remove Nawaz Sharif’s name from the ECL, rules suggest.