Govt clips imprisoned Sharifs’ wings

ISLAMABAD: The names of former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, his daughter Maryam and son-in-law Capt (r) Muhammad Safdar were put on the Exit Control List (ECL) on Tuesday, a day after the federal cabinet made the decision.

On Monday, the newly-inducted federal cabinet of Prime Minister Imran Khan they decided to place the names of the aforementioned on the ECL besides ordering implementation of the red warrants for the arrest and repatriation of Nawaz’s two sons and former finance minister Ishaq Dar.

Addressing a press conference after the maiden meeting of the federal cabinet presided over by PM Khan, Federal Minister for Information Fawad Chaudhry had said that the cabinet had directed the law and interior ministries to put Nawaz and his daughter’s names on the no-fly list, and implement red warrants against Nawaz’s sons, Hassan and Hussain, and Ishaq Dar and bring them back to Pakistan.

“Avenfield properties belong to Pakistan,” the information minister said, adding that the Law Ministry has been directed to contact the British government in this regard.

The information minister said that a special task force will be tasked with bringing back laundered money that is stored abroad, adding that former National Accountability Bureau (NAB) prosecutor Rana Shahzad Akbar has been appointed as special assistant to the prime minister on accountability.

Both Nawaz and Maryam are currently serving a prison sentence in Adiala jail after they were convicted in a corruption reference regarding the Sharif family-owned Avenfield properties in London. Nawaz was sentenced to a total of 11 years in prison while his daughter Maryam was given eight years’ sentence by an accountability court earlier in July.

Following the decision, the father-daughter duo cannot fly abroad even if they are granted bail by the court of law.

The last PML-N government did not place Sharifs’ names on the ECL despite recommendations of the National Accountability Court (NAB). Later on the caretaker setup also avoided this decision and left the matter to be decided by the newly elected cabinet.