Nawaz Sharif, Maryam Nawaz to be put on ECL

ISLAMABAD: The Federal Cabinet has decided to place former prime minister Nawaz Sharif and his daughter Maryam Nawaz on the Exit Control List, Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry said on Monday.

The cabinet also directed the law ministry to initiate process to attach the Sharif Family’s Avenfield properties as the belong to people of Pakistan.

"Avenfield properties are subject to ownership of the people of Pakistan. A task force led by Shehzad Akbar has been established to recover all illegal assets stashed abroad," he said. 

He said law and interior ministries have been directed to make arrangements to bring Hassan Nawaz, Hussein Nawaz and Ishaq Dar back to Pakistan and present them before the court. The British institution be contacted if needed.

"It has been decided that the process or accountability will begin with the Prime Minister and his cabinet. The assets which have already been declared by the Prime Minister and the cabinet will be made public and we will face legal and public accountability ourselves," he said.

The information minister said that iIn accordance with the austerity drive, the additional cars in use of the Prime Minister House would be auctioned. 

The Principal Secretary will announce the date, conditions & other details for the auction. "It has been decided that no minister will be allowed to avail health facilities overseas on national exchequer. Foreign tours of the ministers on expense of the national exchequer have been restricted," he said.

Committee to review govt propoerties

"There are two kinds of properties under the ownership of the government. The first are the heritage properties which have historical significance. A committee under Shafaqat Mahmood will work on preserving these & making them beneficial for general public," he said. 

He said that Prime Minister Khan would not make any foreign trips over the next three months. 

"The Prime Minister does not intend to make any foreign tours over the next three months unless there is a pressing matter in need to be addressed," he said.

"Federal Minister of Foreign Affairs Shah Mahmood Qureshi will make the necessary foreign tours himself. No other minister will make a tour on expenses of the National Exchequer," he said.

To a question, he said that if Nawaz Sharif has been bearing the Prime Minister House expenses from his own pocket then his income tax statement is false according to which he can't afford it.