Pakistan government refuses to put names of Nawaz Sharif, family on Exit Control List

Pakistan Interior Ministry on Thursday refused to put names of Former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and his family on the Exit Control List. Persons listed in the ECL are barred from leaving Pakistan.

The move came a day after the Sharif family filed an application in an anti-corruption court seeking a fortnight's exemption from personal appearances from February 19 onwards on the ground that the treatment of Sharif's wife, Kulsoom Nawaz, in London is in the final stages and the family needs to be with her. Sharif's wife is being treated for cancer in the British capital.

Earlier on Wednesday, Pakistan's Supreme Court reserved its judgment in a case related to the duration of the disqualification of former premier Nawaz Sharif even as the anti-graft watchdog asked the government to bar the PML-N chief, his daughter and son-in-law from leaving the country.

Sharif had contended in the Supreme Court earlier this month that his disqualification under constitutional provisions "is confined only to the election in question, and is not perpetual".

The three-time premier was forced to resign last July after the apex court disqualified him for dishonesty while hearing a case related to allegations in the Panama Papers leaks.

What is Exit Control Lists?

The Exit Control Lists (ECL) is a system of border control maintained by the Government of Pakistan under the Exit from Pakistan (Control) Ordinance. Those persons on the list are prohibited from leaving Pakistan.

OneIndia News