ISLAMABAD - The federal cabinet on Thursday lifted the travel ban on Pakistan People’s Party chief Bilawal Bhutto Zardari and Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah but warned they could again be placed on the Exit Control List if required.
Prime Minister Imran Khan, who chaired the cabinet meeting, directed the interior ministry to remove Bilawal and Shah’s names from the ECL after Law Minister Farogh Naseem’s detailed briefing. The law minister told the PM and other cabinet members that the government was bound to implement the Supreme Court’s orders.
Last week, the federal cabinet had retained the names of Bilawal and Murad Ali Shah on the ECL, saying a decision will be taken after the Supreme Court releases detailed order. The top court this week issued the details of the verdict, directing the government to remove the PPP leaders’ names from the ECL.
The federal cabinet had last week sent the names of 172 individuals - including Asif Ali Zardari and Bilawal– to a review committee to reconsider their travel ban.
Last month, the federal cabinet placed 172 people on the ECL. The travel ban was imposed on all the people mentioned in the Joint Investigation Team in the fake accounts and money-laundering cases.
On December 24, the JIT, formed on the apex court’s orders to probe into the alleged money-laundering case, had presented its 128-page final report to the court which included recommendations for filing 16 National Accountability Bureau references.
The report mentioned that earlier 29 fake accounts were identified by the Federal Investigation Agency which laundered Rs 42 billion. The team further discovered 11,500 bank accounts of 924 account holders, 59 Suspicious Transaction Reports and 24,500 Cash Transactions Reports. All of these details were scrutinised, besides the loan profile of 924 individuals.
The report said the fake accounts were opened through the Omni Group and had been engaged with direct transactions with the Zardari Group, Bahria Town, Sindh Government departments and certain contractors while the ultimate beneficiary of money-laundering was Zardari’s family.
Zardari’s sister Faryal Talpur, former president of Summit Bank Hussain Lawai and Omni Group’s Anwar Majeed, property tycoon Malik Riaz Hussain and his son-in-law Zain Malik were also prominent among those placed on the ECL.
Speaking at a post-meeting news conference, Advisor to the Prime Minister on accountability Shehzad Akbar said the PPP leaders names were not being withdrawn from the JIT report on the money-laundering case.
“They are not exempted from the investigations. The Supreme Court has not issued any such directions. Bilawal or Murad Ali Shah’s name can be put again on the ECL if the National Accountability Bureau deems it necessary,” he said.
The cabinet decided to send the JIT report on money-laundering and fake bank accounts case immediately to NAB under the Supreme Court’s directions.
Shehzad Akbar said JIT report clearly indicated that money-laundering and other serious crimes were committed.
He said due to grave nature of crimes involved, the role of JIT had been maintained unlike other cases where JIT was dissolved after completing the task assigned to it.
Shehzad Akbar said JIT will not only assist NAB in its investigation and probe, but also investigate such things which fall under the category of other offences.
He said based on the evidence in JIT report, NAB can file 16 references and it had to complete its investigation in two months’ time.
He said the cabinet had decided that these cases will be filed in accountability courts in Rawalpindi and Islamabad, rather than Karachi.
He said the special review committee of the Interior Ministry will consider ECL issue in the light of the directions of the Supreme Court.
Briefing the journalists on the other decisions taken by the cabinet, Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Media Affairs Iftikhar Durrani said auction of 15 out of 20 ships of Ministry of National Food Security had been approved.
He rejected the impression that the government was going to present a mini-budget on Jan 23. He also denied reports that the government could increase the ratio of sales tax on January 23.
The cabinet gave approval to supplementary grant of Rs235 million for government employees who die in service. The cabinet also approved a supplementary grant of 750 million rupees for NAB to increase its capacity of prosecution. It accorded approval to appoint Amir Azeem, member technical Pakistan Telecommunication Authority to PTA chairman.
Prime Minister Khan, at the start of the meeting, asked two ministers Ali Zaidi and Fawad Chaudhry to leave as the Election Commission of Pakistan had suspended their National Assembly membership.
The two ministers were among the 70 other members of the National Assembly failed to submit details of their assets to the ECP. The information minister did not brief the media about the cabinet meeting due to the same reason.
Travel ban on Bilawal, Murad lifted