ISLAMABAD: Former prime minister and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) senior leader Shahid Khaqan Abbasi may find his name on the Exit Control List (ECL) as the federal cabinet committee designated with the task would announce its decision soon.
According to sources inside the interior ministry, the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) Rawalpindi, which is holding investigation into the Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) contract scam case, had sought inclusion of Abbasi’s name on ECL in a letter sent to its headquarters in Islamabad, which formally requested interior ministry to take a further step.
NAB had also sought the inclusion of PML-N President Shehbaz Sharif’s son Suleman Shehbaz, former foreign minister Miftah Ismail and Hamza Shehbaz on the no-fly list.
The decision was taken in light of the absence of Abbasi on different occasions earlier when summoned by the anti-corruption watchdog officials for proceeding the corruption case. The former premier had always maintained stance for being outside the country to avoid facing NAB investigators.
Abbasi had appeared before the NAB investigators on April 2, where he failed to provide the required documents in the case and sought more time.
The former prime minister is accused of misusing his powers during his tenure as petroleum minister. The case was registered on a complaint by Shahid Sattar – an energy expert and former member of the Planning Commission and the SSGC board of directors – on July 29, 2015.
