Zardari, Faryal barred from flying abroad: FIA sources

FIA made move using Provincial National Identification List; court order does not call for adding their names

ISLAMABAD: Former president of Pakistan and Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Co-Chairman Asif Ali Zardari and his sister Faryal Talpur have been barred from flying abroad, sources in the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) stated on Monday.

The name of former President of Pakistan Asif Ali Zardari is on no fly list, confirmed sources in the law enforcement agency.

The sources said that a recently-introduced feature – the Provincial National Identification List – enables the FIA to bar any person from flying abroad for a period of 30 days. The sources said that the former president and his sister have been barred from flying abroad under this provision.

The FIA has the authority to place the name of any individual on the list up to 30 days. However, even after 30 days, the FIA may further extend the duration for which a person can be barred from flying abroad.

 



Meanwhile, a senior government official while declining to be named told The Express Tribune that the Supreme Court of Pakistan has only summoned Zardari and Talpur on July 12 and no order has been passed to place their names on the Exist Control List (ECL).

Earlier, the interior ministry on Monday denied placing the PPP co-chairman and his sister on the no-fly list. Talking to the media after the conclusion of the Standing Committee on Interior session at Parliament House, Caretaker Interior Minister Azam Khan also had rejected reports that Zardari or Talpur have been added to the “stop list”. He said the ministry has not received any directives barring either of them from travelling abroad.

The decision to restrict the movement of the former president has been taken in relation to a money laundering scam which is being probed by the FIA and being heard at the apex court.

On Friday, the FIA had detained Hussain Lawai and Taha Raza, accusing them of facilitating the opening of 29 fake accounts in different banks.

According to the FIR registered against Lawai and others, billions of rupees were deposited into the fake accounts and subsequently transferred to different accounts, including Rs15 million to one for Zardari Group – a company whose board includes Asif Zardari and Talpur.

 



The Supreme Court of Pakistan took suo moto action in this connection, and stated in its written order stated that Anwer Majeed, Abdul Ghani Majeed, Aslam Masood, Arif Khan, Noreen Sultan, Kiran Aman, Nasser Abdulla Lootah, Muhammad Iqbal Khan Noor, Muhammad Ashraf, Muhammad Iqbal Araen, Muhammad Umair, Adnan Jawed, Qasim Ali and Azam Wazir Khan have been named as accused and that criminal cases should be registered against them.

The court also ordered the Ministry of Interior to place the names of the accused persons on the ECL.

According to the order of the apex court, FIA Director General Bashir Memon has submitted a report detailing the persons and companies in whose names fake accounts were opened for the purpose of money laundering, who deposited monies running into billions of rupees in the said accounts; and the beneficiaries of the said accounts.

According to the court order, an amount of Rs7 billion which has been deposited by Summit Bank with the State Bank of Pakistan as equity shall not be allowed to be withdrawn. This account shall be frozen till further orders of the court, the order further maintained.

Moreover, the Inspector General of Sindh Police Allah Dino Khawaja has been directed to ensure the presence of all the accused and other named persons before the court in the next hearing.