The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) on Tuesday wrote a letter to the Interior Ministry, asking it to place PML-N President and Leader of the Opposition in National Assembly Shehbaz Sharif’s name on the exit control list (ECL), a private TV channel reported. The development came after NAB’s Lahore office wrote a letter to the headquarters in Islamabad, pleading it to place Shehbaz Sharif’s name on the ECL. According to reports, the NAB Lahore wrote a letter to DG Operations NAB Headquarters on April 28, seeking to place the name of the main accused in money laundering reference on the ECL.
The NAB is investigating money laundering and assets beyond means case against Shehbaz Sharif.
Interior Minister Sheikh Rasheed said his ministry has received the request from the anti-graft watchdog. “Two ministries – law and interior – decide [who to place on ECL],” he said, adding that a joint meeting of the interior and law ministries would be called on Wednesday to take a decision regarding the matter. Following the meeting, the suggestions would be put before the federal cabinet, which will, in turn, take a final decision, he further said, adding that he does not know about the legal standing of the matter as the Lahore High Court (LHC) has earlier permitted Shahbaz to fly abroad for treatment.
Earlier in the day, the NAB Lahore decided to approach Supreme Court to challenge the Lahore High Court’s verdict of granting bail to Shahbaz Sharif in a case of accumulating assets beyond known sources of income and money laundering. The decision was taken after the LHC issued a detailed verdict of the bail case. The NAB’s prosecution team has initiated to prepare an appeal, keeping in view the ‘ignored facts’.
The NAB has clarified that it is a national institution which performs its duties under lawful parameters for interest of nation and the country, as well, by setting aside any kind of pressure and pressings.
It should be noted that on May 7, the LHC had released Shahbaz Sharif on bail in a case pertaining to assets beyond means. Later, the court also allowed him to go abroad for eight weeks on medical grounds. However, Shahbaz Sharif was offloaded on Saturday at Lahore’s Allama Iqbal Airport from a Doha-bound flight by the immigration officials as his name was on the provincial identification list (PNIL). The PML-N president was told he could not leave the country until the system was updated. The federal government had also announced to file a petition against the permission granted to him to leave for abroad. Federal Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry had said that Shahbaz’s guarantee could not be accepted as he had earlier given assurances about former prime minister Nawaz Sharif’s return but nothing became of that.
