ISLAMABAD – Federal Cabinet has rejected recommendations of the InteriorMinistry to remove names of twenty suspects from the Exit Control List inthe fake bank accounts case.
This was stated by Information Minister Chaudhry Fawad Hussain whileaddressing a news briefing along with Minister for Statistics KhusroBakhtiar about Federal Cabinet’s decisions in Islamabad this evening.
The Minister said the Law Ministry informed the cabinet that no formal orwritten verdict has yet been issued by the Supreme Court on the subject soany further proceedings about the ECL issue should be deferred for the timebeing.
He said since the list includes the names of several PPP big wigs andothers who are directly involved in fake bank accounts and money launderingmatters, the cabinet decided to constitute a committee to review the matter.
He said the committee will include Minister for Law and Justice Dr.Muhammad Farogh Naseem, Minister of State for Interior Shehryar Afridi,Prime Minister’s Special Assistant on Accountability Shahzad Akbar and theInterior Secretary Azam Suleman Khan.
He said the cabinet decided that Supreme Court may also be approached for areview appeal on this count after receiving a report from the concernedcommittee on the ECL issue.
Fawad Chaudhry said the cabinet noted with satisfaction that the countries’exports increased by 4.5 percent during the month of December while thetrade deficit reduced up to five hundred forty million dollars, having avery pleasant impact on the national economy.
He said it was the outcome of Prime Minister and his economic team’sextensive and prudent efforts to deal with the current account and fiscaldeficit issues with the active support of friendly countries.
He said government’s efforts to boost exports and reduce imports have alsobeen fruitful.
He said government is also endeavoring to provide ease of doing business tothe foreign and local investors to promote economic activities and createjobs.
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The Minister said Prime Minister Imran Khan directed the Law Ministry toprovide him the negative category list about overseas Pakistanis withinforty eight hours, enabling the government to take a policy decision at theearliest to provide all possible facilities to those expatriates who wantto bring investment in different sectors in Pakistan.
He said the Ministry of Petroleum was directed to come out with acomprehensive plan to address the gas shortage problem in the country.
Fawad Chaudhry said the cabinet regretted that the gas worth fifty billionrupees is being pilfered annually from the system and the previousgovernment took no remedial measures to address this alarming situation.
Speaking on the occasion, Minister for Planning, Development & Reform &Statistics Division Makhdoom Khusro Bakhtiar rejected the oppositionparties’ baseless propaganda about the price hike of different essentialcommodities.
Quoting the data of Pakistan Bureau of Statistics, the Minster said theinflation in PPP’s first five months rule was registered at 11.2 percentand in PML-N’s tenure it was four percent while in PTI’s first five monthsthe inflation rate remained just point four percent.
Khusro Bakhtiar said the Prime Minster directed to evolve a coordinatedprice control mechanism at the federal and provincial levels to checkprofiteering and hoarding.
He said the Prime Minister also directed to provide all possible relief tothe low income segments of the society as per PTI’s election manifesto.
