Dr. Firdous Ashiq Awan, Special Adviser to the Prime Minister on Broadcasting said, on Monday, that the decision regarding the removal of former Premier Nawaz Sharif’s name from the Exit Control List (ECL) will be taken in accordance with the recommendations of the medical board and the National Accountability Bureau (NAB).
She said, “The government does not place any individual’s name on the ECL on its own accord. Names are placed on the no-fly list as per the recommendations of the courts and the NAB.”
Sharif’s Name on ECL
Addressing the media after hearing in the contempt of court case in the Islamabad High Court, Dr. Firdous said, “Now that an application has been submitted to remove the name, the same process has been adopted.”
Ailing former prime minister #NawazSharif may not be able to leave for London today as his name has not been removed from the Exit Control List (ECL) as yet.#ARYNewshttps://t.co/dTgKLgcyGe
— ARY NEWS (@ARYNEWSOFFICIAL) November 11, 2019
The Special Adviser to the PM continued, “Hopefully, today we will receive the recommendations of the NAB.” Dr. Firdous explained that in this case, the NAB is the plaintiff, while former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif is a suspect who is being investigated in a case filed by the accountability watchdog, and was convicted by an accountability court.
She added, “The recommendations provided with the application for name removal have been put forward by the medical board of the Sharif Medical City. The government does not take such decisions in accordance with the recommendations of a private medical board, and it was crucial to obtain directions from the government’s medical board.”
Read more: Uncertainty Prevails as Nawaz’s Name Remains on ECL
Dr. Awan said that the recommendations from the medical board and NAB have been delayed over the weekend. She observed that a review committee from the Law Ministry will “analyze” the recommendations put forward by both the bodies, after which, the matter will be placed in the hands of the cabinet.
Govt. Committed to Facilitate Travels
Addressing the media in Lahore, Chaudhry Ghulam Sarwar, Governor Punjab, said that he is personally overseeing all the legalities and has contacted all the concerned institutions with regards to the process of sending Nawaz Sharif abroad.
He said, “I have personally gotten in touch with all concerned institutions, and I believe that today, Nawaz Sharif’s name will be removed from the ECL and he can travel abroad, wherever he wants to go.”
Read more: First NRO of 2019: Nawaz, Shehbaz & Maryam Set To Leave For London
Chaudhry Sarwar added that after the medical board approved Nawaz’s need to travel abroad, the Pakistan Tehreek-Insaf adopted a very clear stance on facilitating his travels at the earliest as they do not want to take risks with his medical condition.
Later on Monday afternoon, the NAB revealed that it has received the medical reports of Nawaz Sharif from the Ministry of Interior, and will provide its opinion in accordance with the legal regulations. Speaking to the media, a spokesperson of the NAB said, “Once the due process of law is completed, we will provide our recommendations as per the law in due course of time.”