Federal cabinet to place Nawaz’s name on ECL: minister

Says the matter will be taken up when Nawaz returns from London

ISLAMABAD:  

The decision to place former prime minister Nawaz Sharif’s name on the Exit Control List (ECL) will be taken by the federal cabinet, caretaker information minister Ali Syed Zafar said on Thursday.

He was speaking with reporters outside the Islamabad High Court (IHC).

Zafar, who is also the caretaker law minister, said that there were clear guidelines for placing any individual’s name on the No-Fly list.

The issue, Zafar said, was being discussed by a committee comprising the interior, information, and finance ministers.

The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) had recommended to place names of Sharif family members, including the former PM, his daughter and his son-in-law, on the ECL because of the ongoing accountability trials against them.



The minister, however, said that this was not an appropriate time to discuss this issue since the Nawaz Sharif was visiting his ailing wife in London.

Media reports suggested that Kulsoom Nawaz, the wife of the former PM, is in critical condition.

Referring to the general election, the information minister said it was the constitutional responsibility of the caretaker government to organise parliamentary polls on time.

Ruling out the possibility of any delay in the polls, he said, “There shouldn’t be any doubt about the holding of general elections on schedule.”

Stressing the need for discounting unverified reports, he said that adequate security measures would be taken to ensure trouble- and violence-free elections.