‘Influential culprits’ put on stop list

Those who are accused of abuse of authority, defrauding national kitty barred from travelling abroad

KARACHI:

The names of more than 100 people who are allegedly involved in land grabbing, exerting political influence, abuse of authority and defrauding the national exchequer have been put on the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) immigration’s stop list.

Sources maintained that authorities were closely monitoring the entire situation through Integrated Border Management System and some of the accused had been offloaded from flights in the last few months.

Those whose names have been included in the list include leaders of political parties and their close aides, party workers and police officials.

They have been accused of illegally taking lands and properties in Sindh into their possession, causing loss to the national kitty and abuse of authority among other allegations.

The sources noted that various investigation agencies, including the National Accountability Bureau (NAB), were probing these suspects.

They observed that two types of stop lists existed at Karachi and other airports in the country. One stop list operated manually in which changes regarding details pertaining to the accused were made by the relevant investigation agency.

In the other stop list – a computerised one – the system was alerted on the receipt of the CNIC and other related information about the accused before departure, after which the suspect was either offloaded or taken into custody.

Last week, it was reported that around 60 individuals, who were either part of the PPP’s Sindh government or its beneficiary, had been put on the no-fly list during the tenure of the caretaker set-up. However, there was no official confirmation of this development.

Even a minister, who possessed a key portfolio in the provincial government, received a notice from NAB.

It was believed that despite remaining a close ally of the PML-N led government, the PPP was taking a different approach on the timing of the holding of the general elections as well as the status of Pakistan Army (Amendment) Bill, 2023 and Official Secrets (Amendment) Bill, 2023.

A debate was under way as to why the distance between the PPP and security establishment was widening soon after the dissolution of assemblies.

Reports were rife that officers on key posts in Sindh were being transferred during the caretaker government’s tenure and the PPP was unhappy with the move.

However, on Friday, PPP Information Secretary Faisal Kareem Kundi refuted reports of strained relations with the establishment and rebuffed reports that party leaders were being put on any stop list.

He stated that several former provincial ministers had recently flown abroad, noting that it would not have been possible if their names were on the stop list.