ISLAMABAD: Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid has asserted that the name of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) President Shehbaz Sharif had not yet been placed on the no-fly list.
In a video message issued today (Saturday), he said, “So far his name has not been placed on the exit control list (ECL) because the summary has not yet been received from the cabinet division,” adding that it could come either on Monday or Tuesday.
شہباز شریف کا نام ای سی ایل میں ڈالنے سے متعلق ویڈیو بیان جاری pic.twitter.com/OhoTCB990A
— Sheikh Rashid Ahmed (@ShkhRasheed) May 15, 2021
The federal minister shared that 14 people are already on ECL in the similar case and five people from their family were absconders, adding that Shehbaz Sharif was the guarantor for his brother Nawaz Sharif, who is currently in the United Kingdom.
“He was not going to London directly. He was going to go and quarantine in Qatar for 15 days and then proceed to the UK,” the minister said, adding that Shehbaz’s medical reports had also not been received.
He further said, “Once the cabinet summary is received, the law ministry and the interior ministry will move forward in accordance with the law. It is expected that the decision will come by Monday or Tuesday.”
Earlier this month, the Lahore High Court granted Shehbaz permission to travel abroad once for medical treatment. After obtaining bail, Shehbaz was about to fly to London on May 8 when an FIA team at the airport stopped him from travelling on the grounds that his name had been on the list of persons barred from leaving the country.
Meanwhile, in the video message, Sheikh Rashid asserted the COVID-19 positivity rate had decreased due to compliance with SOPs during the Eid holidays. He also lauded the performance of Pakistan Army, the National Command and Control Centre (NCOC), the police and other institutions for doing a commendable job in this regard.
