–Ahsan Iqbal says MoI has forwarded 600 such cases to federal cabinet as it is the competent authority
–Says decisions used to come from somewhere else during Nisar’s time in office but ‘it does not happen now’
–Warns Musharraf of ‘dire consequences’ if former dictator does not appear before special court hearing high treason case
LAHORE: Federal Minister for Interior Ahsan Iqbal on Saturday said that the federal cabinet would take a decision on including the names of deposed prime minister Nawaz Sharif and former finance minister Ishaq Dar in the Exit Control List (ECL).
Speaking in a TV interview, Iqbal said that the Interior Ministry has forwarded more than 600 cases to the federal cabinet for approval, including those of Nawaz Sharif and Ishaq Dar.
“We have also taken advice from the Law Division in the matter. Now the cabinet is authorised over whose name will be placed on ECL or excluded from it,” explained the minister.
Commenting on former interior minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan’s remarks in the National Assembly on Friday, Iqbal said that decisions used to come from somewhere else during Chaudhry Nisar’s tenure in office but it does not happen now.
“Chaudhry Nisar may have forgotten that in August 2016, a Supreme Court verdict said that wherever the words ‘Federal Government’ are written, they mean the cabinet. Including or excluding name from ECL comes under the authority of the federal government,” he said.
Earlier on Friday, Nisar said that the policy of putting people’s names on the ECL has changed since back in the day people’s names used to be placed on the ECL even after “domestic disputes”. He said that if the committee has made this decision then the reasons should be presented before the assembly, adding “if the committee has not taken this decision then it is the violation of the same merit which they have mentioned.”
Nisar had concluded by saying that if NAB’s recommendations are being ignored “it shows that decisions are being made somewhere else”.
Iqbal, the incumbent interior minister, said that he did not want to comment on the previous happenings, however, now the decisions of the Interior Ministry were made according to constitution and law.
“I want to tell Naveed Qamar that if the government intended any conflict, it would not have allowed Dr Asim to fly aboard. We could have put hurdles in the matter. We would have done the same for Raja Pervaiz Ashraf also but we run the matter fairly,” Ahsan Iqbal asserted.
MUSHARRAF WARNED OF CONSEQUENCES IN CASE OF NO SHOW:
Ahsan Iqbal also warned former president Pervez Musharraf of dire consequences if he fails to appear before the special court conducting the high treason trial of the former dictator.
The minister said that the Interior Ministry could cancel Musharraf’s passport and national identity card if he remains absent from court proceedings.
“Musharraf is in good health and must appear before the court,” said Iqbal.
Discussing the upcoming elections, the minister said that ‘failed forces’ have kept up their efforts to create hurdles in the democratic process but the fate of democracy lies with the nation of 200 million people.
The federal minister further said that so many games had been played in Pakistan that people had lost faith in some forces.
Speaking about the security situation in the country, Iqbal observed that the PML-N led government had curbed terrorism during the course of its rule.
The interior minister also spoke about the government’s resolve to achieve its target to become one of the world’s top 25 economies by 2025.
“We have changed the direction of the country in the past five years and we will achieve our target to become one of the world’s 25 economies by 2025,” said Iqbal.