The state minister for interior’s authority to include and strike off names from the exit control list (ECL) has been withdrawn.
Issuing the directives, Prime Minister Imran Khan handed over the powers to the federal cabinet, which will grant approval to or reject the recommendations. The prime minister also abolished cabinet’s sub-committee on the ECL, which would review the requests to include or remove names from the list.
In light of the Supreme Court orders, the previous government had withdrawn the powers from the interior ministry. The interior minister, however, was allowed to put names of terrorists, members of proscribed organisations, and those requested by the security organisations, on the ECL.
Now, the state minister for interior also wouldn’t be able now to take decisions in the aforementioned specific cases.
Published in Daily Times, October 27th 2018.
