Shahzad Akbar among 10 placed on ECL

ISLAMABAD: The federal cabinet Tuesday placed the names of 10 individuals, including Shahzad Akbar, on the Exit Control List (ECL).

A statement issued by the Prime Minister’s media wing said the federal cabinet, which met with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in the chair, also approved placing names on the ECL and removing 22 names from the list.

Sources said the government was not intentionally disclosing the names of the individuals placed on the ECL and struck off.

The sources said that the name of Shahzad Akbar was put on the ECL at the request of the National Accountability Bureau.

Shahzad Akbar had left for Dubai on April 17 from where he departed for London five days after the Islamabad High Court (IHC) had suspended FIA orders of putting his name on the stop list.

The cabinet also rejected a summary for an increase in prices of 35 medicines, the media wing of the Prime Minister’s Office said.

The cabinet, while rejecting the summary, directed the Ministry of National Health Services Regulations and Coordination not to increase prices of medicines without its approval.

Health Minister Abdul Qadir Patel, who was also present in the meeting, also opposed the summary.

The sources said that the draft of declaration against the PTI chairman to be submitted to the Supreme Court in the light of the decision of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on the foreign funding case could not be presented in the meeting.

Some cabinet members, including Syed Khursheed Shah, and particularly those belonging to the PMLN allies also questioned the increase in POL prices.

The cabinet also approved the decisions of the Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) meeting held a day before about Authorisation of Government Married Accommodation to Defence Security Force (DSF) Personnel (Amendment to Army Regulations, 1998), Amendment to Annex A to Rule 11 of Scales of Rations and Supplies (Regulations), 2015, Amendments to National Skills University Act, 2018, Appointment of Law Officers in Office of the Advocate General, ICT, Islamabad by Amending the President’s Order 1 of 2015 and Pakistan Veterinary Medical Council (PVMC) Employees Service Regulations, 2022.

The cabinet also approved the Ministry of Finance’s recommendation regarding fixation of minimum limit of Diyat amount for the year 2022-23, equal to 30,630 gram silver, which amounted to more than Rs430,000 approximately.

The cabinet was given a detailed briefing on the impacts of climate change in the country. The meeting was informed that Pakistan had been included among the top eight worst climate-affected countries of the world during the last 10 years which was a matter of a grave concern.

The cabinet was told the climate change had also badly affected the natural resources and the increase in population was one of the main reasons.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said that climate change, water security and food security were three inter-connected challenges and to cope with these issues, they would have to take immediate steps to save the future generations from their impacts.

He said that the government was fully cognizant of these problems and resolution of these issues was among the government’s top priorities.