Pakistan

Shehbaz Sharif's name not included in ECL: Rashid

Rashid says cabinet division has not yet received summary to add name in ECL

Our Correspondent May 15, 2021

PHOTO: EXPRESS

ISLAMABAD:

Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid on Saturday said that Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) President Shehbaz Sharif's name has not been placed in the Exit Control List (ECL) as of yet.

In a video message, Rashid said that the reason the opposition leader’s name was not included in the ECL was due to the summary not being received from the cabinet division.

شہباز شریف کا نام ای سی ایل میں ڈالنے سے متعلق ویڈیو بیان جاری pic.twitter.com/OhoTCB990A
— Sheikh Rashid Ahmed (@ShkhRasheed) May 15, 2021

The federal minister further said that the summary may be received by Monday or Tuesday, adding that the decision will be taken by the ministry and the decision will be in accordance with the Constitution.

“This is a case in which 14 of the accused are already on the ECL,” the interior minister said.

He pointed out that Shehbaz himself was a guarantor of PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif, who was in London after his release from prison on medical grounds.

Read: PML-N won't appeal inclusion of Shehbaz' name on ECL

“Five members of the Sharif family are absconders,” he added.

"Shehbaz was not going to London directly, he was going to go and quarantine in Qatar for 15 days and then proceed to the UK." The minister added that Shehbaz's medical reports had also not been received.

SOP compliance

The federal minister also lauded the Pakistan Army, the National Command and Control Centre (NCOC), the police and other institutions for doing a commendable job in helping to decrease the Covid-19 positivity rate in the country by ensuring compliance with SOPs during the Eid holidays.

He also recognised the efforts of the public.

"In comparison, the Indian variant of the virus has spread to the United Kingdom and is infecting 0.4 million people and claiming 4,000 lives [in India] on a daily basis. In such a situation, I applaud all the country's institutions for a job well done," he said.

Israeli aggression

The interior minister also said that Israeli aggression against oppressed and unarmed Palestinians continues for the fifth day.

According to international media, Israel has martyred more than 130 Palestinians so far.

“Muslim countries must take immediate notice of the genocide of Palestinians by Israel, and it is the responsibility of the world nations to stop Israeli aggression and extremism,” Rashid maintained.

On Friday, PML-N said it will not file an appeal with the interior ministry for a review of the decision to include Shehbaz's name on the ECL.

Talking to media persons in Lahore, the party's spokesperson Marriyum Aurangzeb had said that an appeal is made when there is no existing court order [pertaining to a case].

"We won't appeal for a review [of the inclusion] with the interior ministry; the government has to review it instead," she said adding, "now the LHC and Supreme Court have to take notice [of the situation]."

Previously on Wednesday, a subcommittee of the federal cabinet recommended placing Shehbaz' name on the ECL to stop him from leaving the country while cases against him were underway.

Informing the media about the development, Rashid had said that the cabinet would accept the recommendation soon.

The minister maintained that the PML-N president was trying to escape from the country because of the reopening of the Hudaibiya Paper Mills case. "He [Shehbaz] chose the time of Sehri to run away knowing that the [Hudaibiya Paper Mills] case was about to be reopened,” he said.