Zardari, Faryal Talpur's names removed from ECL

ISLAMABAD: The names of Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) co-chairperson Asif Ali Zardari and his sister Faryal Talpur removed from the Exit Control List (ECL) on Wednesday, ARY News reported.

Sources said the PPP leaders’ names were stricken off the no-fly list following the Ministry of Interior’s approval.

The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) had approached the ministry to have the former head of state and his sister’s names on the ECL over their alleged involvement in a case pertaining to transactions of billions of rupees into fake accounts, including the one linked to them.

Last week, the Supreme Court restrained the FIA from pursuing its inquiry against Mr Zardari and his sister till the coming general elections.

Chief Justice of Pakistan Mian Saqib Nisar, who headed the bench, observed, “We don’t want excuses that the elections have been rigged.”

He was hearing a suo motu case regarding fake accounts and suspicious transactions worth Rs45 billion.

Earlier, the FIA had also summoned them for questioning, but they didn’t turn up.

In a statement submitted to the FIA, they stated that they were busy in the party’s election campaign and therefore couldn’t appear. They said they would appear in a first week after the July 25 polls.

On July 10, FIA officials pasted notices at the entrance of Bilawal House and Ms Talpur’s house in Karachi’s DHA, asking the PPP leaders to appear before an investigation team.

The notices, according to the officials, were pasted outside their houses after their staff refused to receive them.