PM Khan terms ECL a calamity for 'ruling elite'

The premier insists he will be happy just remaining confined in Pakistan working for the people

Prime Minister Imran Khan in a tweet on Saturday said the Exit Control List (ECL) is a calamity for the 'ruling elite' as they do not appreciate Pakistan’s beauty.

The premier once again criticised them over their response to the government's decision to place their names on the list.

Cabinet sends 172 ECL names for panel review

On the recommendations of a joint investigation team (JIT) tasked with probing the fake accounts case, the federal cabinet in its meeting on December 27, 2018, had decided to place the names of 172 individuals — who were named in the investigation report — on the ECL.

The majestic beauty and diversity of our land is unparalleled (1/3) pic.twitter.com/5v9FzIwx4C

— Imran Khan (@ImranKhanPTI) January 19, 2019

Names of Pakistan Peoples’ Party Chairperson Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, Co-chairperson Asif Ali Zardari, his sister Faryal Talpur, Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah, Farooq H Naek and several other leaders and provincial ministers of the party were also included in the ECL.

Sadly this beauty is not appreciated by our ruling elite which is why ECL is such a calamity for them (2/3) pic.twitter.com/tgtvIfMnlK

— Imran Khan (@ImranKhanPTI) January 19, 2019

Former chief justice Pakistan Saqib Nisar had grilled the state prosecutor over the government’s decision to place names of Bilawal Bhutto and Sindh CM Shah on the no-fly list. He also ordered the federal cabinet to reconsider the decision.

In his latest tweets, Prime Minister Khan shared videos of the country's beauty and wrote, “The majestic beauty and diversity of our land [Pakistan] is unparalleled.”

The captivating grandeur of our land is why I would be happy just remaining confined here working for our people. (3/3) pic.twitter.com/MBkkxHRZbn

— Imran Khan (@ImranKhanPTI) January 19, 2019

He added, “Sadly this beauty is not appreciated by our ruling elite which is why ECL is such a calamity for them.”

“The captivating grandeur of our land is why I would be happy just remaining confined here working for our people,” the prime minister continued.

Govt to review money laundering ECL list on case-by-case basis

In an earlier tweet on January 17, PM Khan had asked, “Why are some of our lawmakers so scared of the ECL? Why are they so keen to go abroad? There is so much work to be done by politicians in & for Pak - the land they claim to love but some cannot wait to take frequent trips abroad & lawmakers have iqamas or residencies abroad.”

Two days later, the federal cabinet had decided to remove the names of PPP Chairperson Bilawal Bhutto and Sindh CM Shah from the ECL, but refused to excise them from the JIT report on the fake accounts case.