Removal of name from ECL: Azam Khan admits granting permission of travelling abroad to Zulfi

Caretaker Interior Minister Azam Khan on Thursday admitted that he granted permission to Zulfi Bukhari, a close aide of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan, to travel abroad with the condition to return home within a week. In a briefing to Senate Standing Committee on Interior that met here with Rehman Malik in the chair, the minister said that Bukhari asked for a one-time permission to travel abroad, which was granted, for which he himself requested and there is no truth of Imran Khan's intervention to remove his name from the blacklist.
He said he was informed by the interior secretary that Bukhari wanted to travel to Saudi Arabia to perform Umrah with PTI chairman, but was stopped from leaving the country as his name was on the blacklist.
The interior secretary further told him that Bukhari had submitted an affidavit stating that he would return to Pakistan, Azam said, following which he was granted permission to travel for six days.
The interior minister categorically rejected the speculation that Imran Khan had telephoned him to remove Bukhari's name from the blacklist. He also said that National Accountability Bureau (NAB) was probing a case pertaining to offshore companies against Bukhari.
The NAB had requested to place Bukhari's name on ECL. His name was placed on the blacklist in the absence of a cabinet committee so that he might not leave the country, Azam said. Malik said that as far as he knew, Zulfi Bukhari's name was not placed on ECL but he was placed in blacklist while blacklist had no legal status. He said if Bukhari had not been informed that his name was being placed on blacklist, it was the fault of the Interior Ministry.
The chief commissioner Islamabad briefed the committee about the structure and functions of Islamabad administration and its attached departments. The committee chairman asked about price control mechanism and checking the quality of food.
Malik stressed the importance of strategy to ensure and maintain quality of food items in Islamabad. He questioned the chief commissioner as what mechanism is applied to check the rates of food items and what measures have been taken by the capital administration to block the distribution of substandard food items.
The commissioner Islamabad blamed the Capital Development Authority (CDA), saying both the civic body and Municipal Corporation Islamabad (MCI) are not ready to accept their due responsibilities as he had never seen Islamabad as dirty as it is today.
The chief commissioner told the committee that neither CDA nor the MCI is accepting responsibility to extinguish the fire on Margalla Hills. The chairman committee directed for holding an inquiry into the incident of fire on Margalla Hill which he witnesses every year, saying the responsible officials should be dealt under the law.
While taking the issue of private housing societies in Islamabad, the committee expressed grave concerns over the misappropriation in the societies and looting the poor. Malik said that taking strict action against those builders of housing societies, who have looted the poor and exploited them, is need of the hour.
He directed FIA to initiate an inquiry into those societies where allottees have not yet giving plots despite giving money.
The committee also sought a detailed report on the construction of Safa Gold Mall, Centaurus Mall and other big malls and buildings in Islamabad which have reportedly been constructed illegally.