No more names linked to controversial story on no-fly list

Sources say govt is monitoring movement of some PM House officials

ISLAMABAD: No government functionary or politician has so far been placed on the Exit Control List (ECL) in connection with the controversial news report carried by Dawn newspaper, sources close to the relevant authorities told The Express Tribune on Sunday.

The federal government is currently investigating the source of the controversial story by journalist Cyril Almeida which sent tremors through the country’s civil and military leadership. The interior ministry placed only Almeida on the no-fly list in connection to the inquiry, although he was removed from the ECL after a few days as well when the move invited much criticism from both local and international circles.



Even so, the sources said security agencies are monitoring the movement of some Prime Minister House officials round the clock.

When contacted, however, the interior ministry spokesman and other ministry officials refused to comment on the issue, saying they were not authorised to comment on it.

Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan in his last news conference on Thursday said two to three persons other than Almeida were on the government’s radar in connection with the probe about who gave the journalist the story.



The minister at the time said that those two or three suspects will not be allowed to travel abroad either. He added that the inquiry would be wrapped up in four days and vowed that those behind the ‘inaccurate’ story would be brought to justice.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 17^th, 2016.