Federal Cabinet’s Sub-committee Will Meet To Decide Maryam’s Travel Ban Today

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Federal cabinet’s sub-committee will meet to decide Maryam’s travel ban today

The sub-committee was given one-week time by the LHC to decide the matter of Maryam Nawaz regarding removal of her name from ECL to fly to London.

ISLAMABAD: (Urdu Point/Pakistan Point News-Dec 18th, 2019) A sub-committee of the federal cabinet will meet today to decide the fate of PML-N Vice President Maryam Nawaz’s matter regarding removal of her name from Exit Control List (ECL) to fly to London to look after her ailing father Nawaz Sharif.

According to the sources, the sub-committee meeting will be chaired by Federal Law Minister Farogh Naseem in Islamabad.

Maryam Nawaz had earlier approached the Lahore High Court for removal of her name from Exit Control List (ECL) to fly to London to look after her ailing father Muhammad Nawaz Sharif. The court, however, disposed of her petition and directed her to approach the government’s review committee.

A LHC division bench headed by Justice Ali Baqir Najfi passed the order on petition moved by Maryam Nawaz.

“You should approach the review committee first,” Justice Najfi remarked while taking up the petition of Maryam Nawaz. The bench directed the review committee to decide the matter of Maryam Nawaz within seven days.

Earlier, the IHC sought guarantee from the government officials that who would be responsible if anything happened to ailing Nawaz sharif who was at that time admitted to Services Hospital. The government said that they cannot give guarantee about life and death. Later, the LHC also sought guarantee from the government and PML-N leadership regarding return of Nawaz Sharif.

National Accountability Bureau (NAB) had also moved the Supreme Court against LHC’s decision to grant bail to the PML-N leader in Chaudhry Sugar Mills case.

The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) led Federal cabinet had placed PML-N leader’s name on the no-fly list on NAB’s request on August 20, 2018.

Maryam Nawaz in her recent petition submitted that her name was placed on the ECL without her stance on the matter being heard. She maintained that the government and NAB’s belief that the PML-N leader would abscond if allowed to travel abroad was against her track record.

She also submitted that Maryam returned from the British capital where she was looking after her ailing mother Kulsoom Nawaz, to face trial in the corruption references. She further said that both Maryam and her father Nawaz Sharif volunteered to come back to surrender even after a judgment of conviction announced in their absence.

The petitioner said that her name on ECL was politically motivated and also questioned the NAB for suggesting her name to be placed on ECL. She asked the court to direct the government for removal of her name from the ECL so that she could fly to London for care of her ailing father Nawaz Sharif.

Fida Hussnain

Fida Hussnain is a lahore based journalist. He writes on politics, religion, social issues and climate change. He is also a research fellow at University of Gujrat.