ECL should not be used as political tool: Ahsan Iqbal

• Says well within our constitutional rights to criticise court judgments 

LAHORE: Federal Minister for Interior Ahsan Iqbal on Saturday said that the Exit Control List (ECL) should not be used as a political instrument.

The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) on Wednesday formally requested the Ministry of Interior to place former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, daughter Maryam Nawaz and son-in-law Capt (r) Safdar’s names on the ECL, in connection to the references relating to Azizia Mills, Flagship and Avenfield properties.

Lashing out at Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief Imran Khan and Awami Muslim League (AML) Chairman Sheikh Rasheed, the minister told reporters that the people of Pakistan have rejected their politics.

He also said that while they do not criticise Supreme Court or the judiciary, “criticising verdicts is our constitutional and legal right”.

“If we look at the past, in the cases of Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto and Justice Muneer, the verdict was acted upon but they were never accepted.”

He said that the whole world expressed shock over the disqualification of former prime minister Nawaz Sharif in Panama Leaks case.

“If we look at the past, in the cases of Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto and Justice Muneer, the verdict was acted upon but they were never accepted,” he maintained.

Highlighting the role and sacrifices made by Pakistan on the fight against terrorism, he said that any move to place Pakistan in the “grey list” by the international community will be counter-productive and undermine the extensive work that Pakistan has carried out under the National Action Plan to thwart terrorism.

The interior minister said that the country is currently in a takeover position but some are trying to spread political instability.

Iqbal said that the West wants to pressurise Pakistan to achieve certain objectives, because of which it is pushing to place the country on the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) watchlist.

The US earlier this month put forward a motion to place Pakistan on the FATF watchlist.

The FATF, an intergovernmental body based in Paris, sets global standards for fighting illicit finance.
Iqbal shared the concern that such pressure tactics would negatively impact Pakistan’s efforts in the war against terrorism.

Pakistan has been scrambling in recent months to avert being added to a list of countries deemed non-compliant with terrorist financing regulations by the FATF, a measure that officials fear could hurt its economy.

The country’s de facto finance minister, Miftah Ismail, said earlier this week that the United States and Britain put forward the motion, and later persuaded France and Germany to co-sponsor it. Pakistan was working with the US, UK, Germany and France for the nomination to be withdrawn, he added.