Approval to include the name of former Prime Minister's advisor Shahzad Akbar in the ECL

The Federal Cabinet has added the names of two close associates of former Prime Minister Imran Khan, Mirza Shahzad Akbar and Zia-ul-Mustafa ...

The Federal Cabinet has added the names of two close associates of former Prime Minister Imran Khan, Mirza Shahzad Akbar and Zia-ul-Mustafa Naseem, to the Exit Control List (ECL) on the request of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) for their alleged involvement in a financial scam. approved.

According to the report of Dawn newspaper, in the declaration issued after the meeting, it was stated that the Cabinet, on the proposal of the Ministry of Interior, added the names of 10 people to the Exit Control List (ECL), removed the names of 22 people from the ECL and 3 Granted One Time Out Permit (OTP) to individuals.

A senior government official said that the names of Shehzad Akbar and Zia-ul-Mustafa Naseem, legal experts of the asset recovery unit of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) regime, have been put in the exit control list on the recommendation of the NAB.

Both Shahzad Akbar and Zia-ul-Mustafa Naseem are currently in the UK. According to the law, if a person's name has been entered on the ECL and he is abroad, he should be arrested upon his return and handed over to the relevant law enforcement agency. is done.

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Britain's National Crime Agency (NCA) had allegedly frozen the assets of Bahria Town owner Malik Riaz's family for being 'illegal', but in December 2019, they settled with him for £190 million. Agreed.

Home Minister Rana Sanaullah has in the past accused Shahzad Akbar and Chairman PTI Imran Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi of "providing protection" to Bahria Town in the case during their tenure. Received 5 billion rupees and hundreds of kanals from Riyadh.

Rana Sanaullah had said that the housing society illegally transferred Rs 50 billion to a Pakistani citizen in the UK, the transfer was identified by the UK's NCA.

He had claimed that Imran Khan had assigned Shahzad Akbar to resolve the matter while in another Supreme Court case, Rs 50 billion of national exchequer was adjusted against Rs 460 billion of Bahria Town.

Read more: Advisor to Prime Minister on Accountability Shehzad Akbar resigned

He also claimed that Bahria Town entered into an agreement and allotted 458 kanals of land worth Rs 53 crore to Imran Khan and his wife's 'Al-Qadir Trust'.

On the other hand, Shahzad Akbar said that after the approval by the federal cabinet in December 2019, Pakistan is bound by the legal obligation to ensure the confidentiality of the agreement reached between the two parties for data protection and confidentiality with the British agency NCA. Is.

Shahzad Akbar, in a letter to the Cabinet Division Secretary on July 30, referred to the Cabinet Sub-Committee set up on asset freeze orders and repatriation of funds to Pakistan in the Bahria Town case and the violation of the agreement and its legal implications. Warned about the effects.

He advised the committee to first seek a legal opinion from the Attorney General, who had also agreed to come online from the Pakistan High Commission in the UK to answer NAB's questions.

Further, the cabinet also approved adding names of 10 other persons to ECL, removing names of 22 persons and allowing 3 persons to travel abroad once on the recommendations of the Ministry of Home Affairs.