ISLAMABAD - The federal cabinet Thursday placed 172 people, including former president Asif Ali Zardari on the Exit Control List.

The travel ban has been imposed on all the people mentioned in the Joint Investigation Team in the fake accounts and money-laundering cases.

Briefing the journalists after the cabinet meeting – chaired by Prime Minister Imran Khan - here, Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry said Zardari and other accused were not taking the JIT report – submitted in the Supreme Court – seriously so the government had taken the serious step.

The cabinet meeting expressed the resolve that the accountability process will continue without any discrimination to purge the country of the menace of corruption, said the minister.

On December 24, the JIT, formed on the apex court’s orders to probe into the alleged money-laundering case, 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 scrutinized, besides the loan profile of 924 individuals.

The report concluded that the fake accounts were opened through the Omni Group ad 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. The court ordered Zardari to submit his reply by December 31.

Yesterday, Zardari, the co-Chairman of the Pakistan People’s Party warned the political opponents  that he will fight against them in courts and everywhere else with full force and strength.

Speaking at a rally held on the 11th death anniversary of former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, he criticised the policies of the incumbent government, and claimed that such policies were ineffective for betterment and prosperity of the nation. He reiterated his resolve to fight saying “We all Bhuttos are ready to fight against you.”

PPP chief Bilawal Bhutto Zardari also adopted an aggressive tone saying that the country was being run by inexperienced people. He asserted that the foundation of federal government have become fragile.

“The selected PM does not know that a spark can reduce everything to ashes. Listen with open ears, we will fight the conspiracies,” he declared.

In a relevant development, the Election Commission of Pakistan yesterday accepted for hearing an application, filed by the Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf, seeking Zardari’s disqualification. Chief Election Commissioner Sardar Mohammed Raza Khan directed officials to set a date for hearing the application in the next few days.

Fawad Chaudhry said Prime Minister Imran Khan had vowed to ensure transparency in the accountability process regarding national assets. “We hope that Zardari will consider this JIT seriously. The PM wants an indiscriminate accountability,” he said.

Fawad Chaudhry said the cabinet had validated the decision to hold provincial assembly elections in tribal districts in June 2019 to bring the tribal people in the mainstream and  provide them all their constitutional rights promised by Prime Minister Khan soon after coming to power.

The minister said that cabinet also reviewed the overall law and order situation in Karachi especially in the context of latest target killing incidents.

He said the cabinet reaffirmed its commitment to ensure peace in Karachi at all costs being economic hub of the country.

The Information Minister said the cabinet has decided to take up the issue of Muttahida Qaumi Movement founder Altaf Hussain’s hate speech with the British Government who is inciting for killing of people using social media and creating law and order in Karachi.

He said that it has also been decided to contact the South African authorities to prevent use of their soil against Pakistan by Altaf Hussain’s target killers.

Regarding MQM leader Ali Raza Abidi’s murder, he said that the federal cabinet meeting examined certain aspects of the current law and order situation in Karachi, where “an attempt has been made to disrupt peace and security of Karachi.”

The minister said that the cabinet lauded performance of the Federal Investigation Agency in unearthing money-laundering of billions of rupees.

He said millions of rupees were spent on installation of close circuit television cameras in Islamabad and Karachi under safe city projects, but majority of these cameras were either dysfunctional or not able to provide legible pictures. He said the cabinet also ordered inquiry into these projects to fix responsibility of failure.

Fawad Chaudhry said imported mobile phones can be got registered till January 15 with the payment of 10 percent customs duty. He said the purpose behind this decision was to encourage local mobile industry and discourage of undue imports of mobile sets.

He said that cabinet also approved extending mobile phone services in North Waziristan district and to review to provide the same in Makran area of Balochistan.

He said Pakistan Telecommunication Authority and Mobilink have signed an agreement to provide mobile services in North Waziristan district.

The minister said that the cabinet approved bringing a Constitution Amendment Bill to have one reserved seat for women each in the Senate and the National Assembly from the Federal Capital Territory.

He said a task force under the chairmanship of Prime Minister Imran Khan would be constituted to modernize research in Pakistan. He said eminent scientist Dr Attaur Rehman will head this task force.

Chaudhry said in the first phase the proposed university at the Prime Minister House, will be given the name of Darul Hikma (house of wisdom), while in the second phase, it will be transformed into a full-fledged university.

To a question, Chaudhry said that regulatory duty on news print had been reduced from five percent to just one percent. He expressed the hope that it will benefit working journalists as well.

The federal cabinet also approved the appointment of Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan Commissioner Farrukh Sabzwari as Chairman of the SECP. Sabzwari was appointed Commissioner at SECP on November 15 this year.