PM orders probe after name of Imran aide removed from ECL
islamabad — Caretaker Prime Minister Justice (retired) Nasirul Mulk on Wednesday sought a report from the interior ministry after Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf leader Zulfi Bukhari was allowed to travel to Saudi Arabia despite being placed on the Exit Control List (ECL).
According to a letter issued by the interior ministry, a one-time “permission” was given to Zulfi Bukhari for six days to perform Umra.
Zulfi Bukhari was accompanying PTI chairman Imran Khan to Saudi Arabia when he was first stopped at the airport, but was later allowed to travel on a one-time permission by the interior ministry after his name was removed from the ECL.
The departure of Zulfi Bukhari was a shocking development for the National Accountability Bureau as the anti-corruption watchdog was not informed why an accused on the Exit Control List (ECL) was allowed to leave the country, says a report by Dawn News.
The NAB was taking the issue seriously and was looking to respond to the matter, the report added.
On Monday, a special flight to the holy city of Madina — in which PTI chairman Imran Khan, his wife Bushra, PTI’s another leader Aleem Khan and his wife and Zulfiqar Bukhari were travelling — was delayed by an hour because Bukhari’s name was on the ECL, and he was not initially allowed to travel by the Federal Investigation Agency’s (FIA) and immigration staff at Benazir Bhutto International Airport, which has recently been closed down after new Islamabad International Airport became functional.
Later the flight was allowed to leave with Bukhari on board.
Interestingly, PTI spokesperson Fawad Chaudhry condemned FIA’s action and said: “The incident was all due to a misunderstanding by the FIA immigration staff as they had confused Bukhari with someone on the ECL with a similar name.”
He said that Zulfiqar Bukhari was not a Pakistani citizen and had nothing to do with local laws.
Sources in NAB said Bukhari was accused of owning an offshore company and having assets beyond his known sources of income.