News Desk |
Prime Minister Imran Khan in a tweet on Thursday asked why some of the parliamentarians were ‘so scared’ of the Exit Control List (ECL) and were keen to go abroad.
“Why are some of our lawmakers so scared of the ECL? Why are they so keen to go abroad? There is so much work to be done by politicians in & for Pak – the land they claim to love,” he wrote in a post on social media.
Why are some of our lawmakers so scared of the ECL? Why are they so keen to go abroad? There is so much work to be done by politicians in & for Pak – the land they claim to love but some cannot wait to take frequent trips abroad & lawmakers have iqamas or residencies abroad.
— Imran Khan (@ImranKhanPTI) January 17, 2019
The PM’s tweet came hours before the scheduled federal cabinet meeting in which removal of names of Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah and PPP Chairperson Bilawal Bhutto Zardari from the no-fly list is expected to be discussed.
Soon after PM Khan’s tweet directed at the opposition, PPP Chairperson Bilawal Bhutto Zardari hit back, saying the ‘selected PM’ had no understanding of human rights including the freedom of movement.
“Some cannot wait to take frequent trips abroad and lawmakers have iqamas or residencies abroad. Can anyone explain this strange phenomenon to those of us who would be quite happy to remain in and work for Pakistan because we actually love Pakistan,” Khan wrote.
Can anyone explain this strange phenomenon to those of us who would be quite happy to remain in and work for Pakistan because we actually love Pakistan. https://t.co/9mYZG4qHhl
— Imran Khan (@ImranKhanPTI) January 17, 2019
The government had placed 172 individuals on the no-fly list on the recommendation of a joint investigation team probing multi-billion fake bank accounts case. Those named in the JIT report included the Sindh chief minister, Bilawal, former president Asif Ali Zardari, Faryal Talpur and several other PPP leaders.
On January 7, Chief Justice Saqib Nisar questioned the travel restriction based on the JIT report and directed the government to review its decision. The government, however, said they would wait for the court’s written order on the matter.
Read more: Imran and Maryam continue their war of words on Twitter
Soon after PM Khan’s tweet directed at the opposition, PPP Chairperson Bilawal Bhutto Zardari hit back, saying the ‘selected PM’ had no understanding of human rights including the freedom of movement.
“Obviously selected PM doesn’t understand the concept of human rights or freedom of movement,” Bilawal retorted.
Obviously selected PM doesn’t understand the concept of human rights or freedom of movement. Funny it’s only the opposition members on ECL, government members are busy travelling. Including PM who despite promising not to travel for 1st 6months has made more than 7 trips so far! https://t.co/uGfCfzyAyA
— BilawalBhuttoZardari (@BBhuttoZardari) January 17, 2019
The PPP chief questioned why only the opposition lawmakers were on the ECL. “Funny it’s only the opposition members on ECL, government members are busy traveling. Including PM who despite promising not to travel for 1st 6months has made more than 7 trips so far!” he added.