Sharif family taken off ECL

ISLAMABAD: The Ministry of Interior deleted from the Exit Control List (ECL) some 100 names including Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, his brother Nawaz Sharif, PML-N vice president Maryam Nawaz and other party leaders.

The ministry has also issued a notification in this regard.

Those politicians were put on the no-fly list on the recommendation of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) and the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) who are pursuing a host of graft cases against them.

In addition to political leaders, the names of some bureaucrats and corporate leaders have also been taken out.

A couple of days ago, the government amended the rules controlling people from leaving the country in a bid to end the practice of keeping people on the no-fly list for longer periods.

In a press conference, Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah Khan said a person’s name put on the ECL would automatically be removed after 120 days. However, the duration can be extended for another 90 days if there is concrete evidence.

The changes have been made to Rule 2 of Exit from Pakistan (Control) Rules, which define grounds to prohibit a person from going abroad.

A new rule (4-A) has been added under which a representation seeking review will be decided within 30 days.

As many as 4,863 people were on the ECL and the new rules would benefit around 3,000 people.

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