• Names of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Punjab CM-elect Hamza Shahbaz, PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif and Maryam Nawaz removed from ECL.
• The names of former Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi and Ahsan Iqbal have also been removed from the ECL, according to government sources.
• The process of removing names from ECL under the new policy will continue for the next few days.

ISLAMABAD: The newly elected government removed the names of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Chief Minister-elect of Punjab Hamza Shahbaz, PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif and his daughter Maryam Nawaz from the Exit Control List (ECL) in under a new policy, Geo News reported, citing well-placed sources.

On April 22, Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah announced that the newly elected government had made changes to the rules for registering an individual’s name on the ECL, and through this, several thousand people will see their name removed from the list.

Government sources say the names of former Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi and Ahsan Iqbal have also been removed from the ECL.

According to the sources, the process of removing names from ECL under the new policy will continue for the next few days.

Earlier, the new federal cabinet, in its first session on Wednesday, gave its approval to remove Finance Minister Miftah Ismail’s name from the no-fly list.

Prime Minister Shehbaz forms committee to update ECL rules

Addressing a press conference, Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah said on Friday that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had formed a committee to update the rules for including a person’s name in the ECL.

“Therefore, with a rapid pace, Federal Minister Sardar Ayaz Sadiq, Asad Mehmood, Naveed Qamar and Azam Nazeer Tarrar presented their suggestions and the cabinet endorsed them,” Sanaullah had said.

The Home Secretary had said that if a person’s name had been on the exit list for more than 120 days, it would be automatically removed. “…a total of 4,863 are on the list, and with this intervention, approximately 3,000 names of people have been removed.”

He had said the government could extend the duration of the 90-day cap if it believes there is evidence against a person.

“The government will have to present the said evidence before the ECL committee, and once it approves it, the duration will be brought forward.”

Sanaullah said the following people would not be exempt:

• Individuals involved in terrorism
• Persons considered a threat to national security
• If their names have been added to ECL by a court
• People involved in large-scale public cheating.

Further on, the Minister of the Interior indicated that 30,000 people were on the blacklist and the Provisional National Identification List (PNIL). He added that since the number of people on the lists is huge, there will also be changes in the coming weeks.

Sanaullah had said that since 60-65% of the people had been removed from the ECL, a similar decision would also be made regarding the other lists.