NRO fallout: Malik barred from leaving country

Islamabad, Dec. 18 (ANI): The repercussions of the Pakistan Supreme Court's verdict declaring the amnesty law as 'unconstitutional' has started showing effects with the Interior Ministry placing the names of 253 beneficiaries of the National Reconciliation Ordinance (NRO), including Interior Minister Rehman Malik on the Exit Control List (ECL).

The latest move has thus barred Malik from moving out of the country.

The names of other prominent people put in the ECL include Defence Minister Ahmed Mukhtar, the MQM's Farooq Sattar and Babar Ghauri, Jahangir Badar and Salman Farooqi, The Daily Times reports.

According to sources, the Interior Ministry's move comes following a request from the National Accountability Bureau (NAB).

"According to a NAB list ... corruption cases against 248 people had been withdrawn under the NRO ... after the exclusion of the names of President Asif Ali Zardari and the Sindh governor, Ishratul Ebad, the tally goes down to 246. But NAB also asked for the names of seven others not on the NRO list to be placed on ECL," sources, privy to the issue, said.

Following the apex court's decision, corruption cases against Zardari, Malik and other ministers are set to reopen and related documents have been sent to the concerned courts for further action.

Deputy Prosecutor General of NAB Sindh, Aslam Butt informed that these cases have been sent to total 52 courts in Karachi while 2 other have been sent to a court in Hyderabad. (ANI)