by Imran Mukhtar in The Nation, Nov 23, 2023
ISLAMABAD – A sub-committee of the federal cabinet on Wednesday recommended placing the names of imprisoned PTI Chairman Imran Khan and 28 others on the Exit Control List (ECL) in the £190 million scandal.
The sub-committee recommended placing these names in the nofly list on the advice of National Accountability Bureau (NAB). The caretaker federal cabinet would take a final decision on the recommendations of the subcommittee.
Caretaker Interior Minister Sarfraz Ahmed Bugti and Caretaker Minister for Communications Shahid Ashraf Tarar, besides other senior officials, attended the subcommittee meeting, according to a statement issued by the Ministry of Interior.
The scandal, also known as Al-Qadir Trust case, alleges that ex-premier Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi got hundreds of kanals of land worth billions of rupees from Bahria Town for legalising 190 million pounds (Rs 50 billion) that were returned to Pakistan by UK’s National Crime Agency (NCA). On November 14, the NAB had arrested PTI chief, who is already incarcerated in Adiala Jail in the cipher case, in this case.
The committee recommended putting the names of 41 people sent by various departments and institutions on the ECL. Separately, recommendations were also made to remove 13 cases from the ECL.
The statement said that the subcommittee recommended excluding seven names from the no-fly list on the directions of courts. Out of the appeals submitted for review, it recommended to remove the names of three people from the ECL, it added.
Earlier this year, the last PDM government had placed Khan, his wife Bushra Bibi and dozens of party leaders and activists on the Provisional National Identification List (PNIL) — a controversial temporary no-fly list .https://www.nation.com.pk/E-Paper/lahore/2023-11-23/page-1/detail-0