ISLAMABAD - Prime Minister Imran Khan’s cabinet Monday imposed a travel ban on former premier Nawaz Sharif and his daughter Maryam Nawaz.

In its inaugural meeting, the cabinet also decided to ensure austerity and pursuing the accountability process vigorously.

Prime Minister Khan is also the country’s interior minister and the cabinet approved his decision in that capacity to put the names of Sharifs on Exit Control List (ECL).

Speaking at a news conference after the meeting, Information Minister Fawad Ahmed Chaudhry – who took oath only hours earlier, said the names of Nawaz Sharif and Maryam Nawaz will be placed on the Exit Control List.

Nawaz and Maryam are serving jail terms after they were sentenced by an accountability court in a case about Sharif family’s London properties. The former PM is also facing two other corruption cases.

The ECL decision comes a day after Imran Khan in his first public address as prime minister pledged an across-the-board accountability.

The decision of barring their foreign travel has been taken as Sharif is hopeful of getting bail soon from the courts.

Fawad said that law and interior ministries had also been directed to make arrangements to bring back the absconding sons of Nawaz – Hasan and Hussain – and former finance minister Ishaq Dar to country and present them before the trial court.

The minister said an accountability task force led by Advisor to PM on Accountability Shehzad Akbar had been formed to bring back all illegal assets made by Pakistanis abroad.

He said the law ministry had been directed to take steps and to approach the British government to get back ownership of Avenfield flats, which were made by the previous rulers by plundering state money.

Nawaz Sharif was ousted as prime minister in July last year by the Supreme Court for having assets beyond known sources of income.

The embattled Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz supremo lost the election battle to Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf on July 25.

PTI has 151 seats and with the support of its allies, the total stands at 176 – which is more than the required simple majority. The PML-N has 81 while the Pakistan People’s Party is third with 53 seats in the lower house of the parliament.

Accountability and austerity

Fawad Chaudhry said that the process of accountability had been decided to start from PM Imran Khan and his cabinet.

He said assets which have already been declared by PM Khan and the cabinet members will be made public. Approval had also been given for auction of about 88 luxury vehicles of PM House, he added.

Chaudhry said that the budget of the Prime Minister House worth Rs650 million was reflected in the budget and Nawaz Sharif’s claim of paying the expenses from his own pocket was contrary to facts.

He said no government office holder will be allowed to avail health facilities overseas on public money while foreign tours of the ministers, except foreign minister, had also been restricted.

The information minister said PM Khan did not intend to make any foreign tours over the next three months unless there was a pressing matter.

Prime Minister Imran Khan has asked the cabinet members to promote the austerity drive and cut expenses in their respective ministries, a participant of the meeting told The Nation.

He said Khan has also asked his cabinet colleagues to remain in contact with the opposition parties for smooth parliamentary proceedings in the future. “He has asked us to consult opposition parties on national issues.”

The information minister in his media briefing said he had issued directives to the PTV to give ample coverage to opposition parties as the PTI had the habit of tolerating criticism.

The minister said that rights of the working journalists would be protected, though the government would not interfere with the market forces.

To a question, he said that capacity building and revamping of information ministry would be done and the neglected Information Group would be given its rights in future.

 

 

Use of public properties for public

Fawad Chaudhry said two committees have been formed to review heritage and general properties of the state to make them beneficial for the common people. Chaudhry said that the provinces would also be issued directives in that regard.

The minister said the committee headed by Education Minister Shafqat Mehmood would decide the use of historical buildings while the other committee led by Finance Minister Asad Umar would approve measures for use of general government property.

Fawad made it clear that employees working on these properties will be given complete service protection and they will not be deprived of their jobs.

He said that those holding government offices would not be allowed to do personal businesses and a Khyber Pakhtunkhwa-like law would be introduced at the centre as well.

He said the Water Resources minister had been directed to present a report regarding Diamer-Bhasha dam and other reservoirs.

Sacrilegious caricatures condemned

At the outset the cabinet greeted the nation on the auspicious occasion of Haj and strongly condemned the new series of sacrilegious sketches in Holland and issued directives to foreign minister to summon its ambassador and lodge strong protest, the minister said.

He said that the foreign minister was also asked to approach the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) as this matter was hurting the sentiments of the entire Muslim world. These sketches were also in violation of the European Union laws which considered all the religions respectable, he added.

To a question Fawad said that Shah Mehmood Qureshi would represent Pakistan at the next session of the United Nations General Assembly.

About relations with India, he said that the government would follow the policy of government-to-government relations instead of the person-specific policy of the past.

Fawad said that the foreign missions would be directed to help Pakistanis abroad and if someone failed to do so he would be recalled.

He said that the PTI candidate for presidency Arif Alvi was a strong candidate as the party had formed governments in two provinces, while it was in coalition with other parties in Balochistan.