Interior minister admits to letting Zulfi Bukhari fly abroad

Azam Khan says he granted one-time permission provided he came back as promised

ISLAMABAD : Caretaker Interior Minister Azam Khan admitted before a Senate panel on Thursday that Zulfiqar Bukhari, Imran Khan’s close friend, was allowed to travel abroad by him after granting him a one-time waiver.

He said that the interior secretary had informed him that Zulfi Bukhari, who had been blacklisted by the ministry, wanted to perform Umrah along with the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief.

Azam said Bukhari had filed an application for removing his name from the blacklist and had submitted an affidavit promising to return to Pakistan.

The interior minister said he had granted him one-time permission provided he came back as promised.

Dismissing the notion that Imran Khan had called him, he said that he received no phone call from anyone in this regard.



Azam Khan said that Bukhari’s name had been placed on the Exit Control List (ECL) on NAB’s recommendation because of an outstanding case against him for owning offshore firms.

As there was no relevant cabinet committee to rule on this matter, Bukhari’s name was blacklisted to bar him from travelling abroad.

Members of the Senate committee expressed dismay and said that if Zulfiqar Bukhari had not been informed about his name being placed on the ECL, it was the ministry’s fault.

The meeting, presided over by Senator Rehman Malik, was attended among others by Javed Abbasi, Mian Ateeq Sheikh and Rana Maqbool Ahmed.

The meeting also took serious notice of an incident in which three sisters were killed in Cholistan. The committee directed the Punjab Police to submit a detailed report about the incident.

Senator Malik said that he was shocked by media reports which suggested that the police remained oblivious to the father’s call for rescuing his missing daughters and did not respond. He said that all persons responsible for the incident should be identified and brought to justice.

Expressing concern over reports of a data leak at National Database Registration Authority (Nadra), Malik said that the allegations, emerging so close to elections, were of a serious nature. The committee asked the Nadra chairman to brief them on the issue.

The issue of voting by overseas Pakistanis in the general election was also discussed in detail.



Senator Malik said that the committee was disappointed to learn that overseas Pakistanis would not be voting in the upcoming elections.

The committee gave the Nadra chairman three months to submit a detailed report regarding software for allowing overseas Pakistanis.

The interior secretary briefed the committee about the ministry’s future plans.

He also briefed the committee regarding arrangements made by the interior ministry for the upcoming elections.

While discussing the situation of prisons and prisoners in Pakistani jails, Senator Malik urged members of the privileged class to help prisoners in pursuing their cases and paying their fines.

The committee also directed the interior secretary to open an account in the National Bank Pakistan, allowing people to donate to this noble cause.

About the situation of non-governmental organisations (NGOs) working in the country, Malik said that special legislation should be introduced for NGOs.

He said that all NGOs should abide by local laws and work within prescribed parameters.

He proposed that an authority should be established under the interior ministry to monitor NGOs. He said that a draft proposal in this regard should be prepared within a month.

The matter of drafting legislation on NGOs was handed over to the Senate Standing Committee on Law and Justice. The panel will be headed by Senator Javed Abbasi and Senator Rana Maqbool Ahmed will assist him.

The committee later asked the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) to submit a detailed report on human smuggling.

Stressing the need to mount a crackdown against human smugglers, the committee directed FIA to thoroughly investigate all people being deported from various countries.

IHC directs interior ministry to file reply

The Islamabad High Court (IHC) has asked the interior ministry and NAB to submit written replies on Thursday about Zulfiqar Bukhari’s blacklisting.

Justice Aamer Farooq of the IHC resumed the hearing of Bukhari’s petition, requesting the court to remove his name from the Exit Control List (ECL).

During the hearing, the NAB prosecutor argued that Bukhari, a close aide of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Chairperson Imran Khan, had been sent several notices about his offshore companies, but he did not appear before the anti-corruption watchdog.



The prosecution argued that NAB had requested the interior ministry to place Bukhari’s name on the ECL on May 9, but the bureau was not informed that his name was instead blacklisted.

“The interior ministry, despite having information of an ongoing inquiry against Bukhari, granted a six-day travel permission,” the NAB’s prosecutor argued.

In response, the court asked the ministry’s section officer why had Bukhari’s name been blacklisted when NAB had requested his name to be placed on the ECL.

“When an individual’s name is included in the blacklist, their passport is confiscated, did you confiscate Bukhari’s passport?” the bench asked. The section officer, however, replied that the ministry had not confiscated his passport.

Subsequently, Justice Aamer Farooq remarked that the law should be the same for everyone.

“Despite court orders, names aren’t removed from ECL for months, but in a case like this, exceptions are made. Others should also be allowed such one-time travel permission. The swiftness demonstrated in this case should be mirrored in others as well,” the judge remarked.

The bench then directed Bukhari to appear before NAB and cooperate with the ongoing inquiry.

The IHC further summoned an official from the defence ministry to appear in person for the next hearing in a matter pertaining to Imran’s flight leaving from Nur Khan Airbase.

The case was later adjourned till June 27.