Senate body discusses procedure for putting names on ECL, PNIL

ISLAMABAD: The Senate's Functional Committee on Human Rights Wednesday discussed in detail the procedure adopted to place names of individuals on Exit Control List (ECL) and the legal status of Provisional National Identification List (PNIL) particularly about placing the names of MNAs Ali Wazir and Mohsin Dawar on PNIL or ECL.

The committee, which met here at the Pakistan Institute of Parliamentary Services with Senator Mustafa Nawaz Khokhar in the chair, was told by the Federal Investigation Agency director general that the procedure to put names on the ECL took a period of 30 days.

However, on a Supreme Court's order a mechanism was devised for early action on stopping people from leaving the country who were found involved in an offence which resulted in adoption of PNIL which authorised immigration officers to stop people from travelling abroad if their names were in the list on directives of home departments, a press release said.

It was was told that in urgent and emergency cases the list was being used as a stopgap arrangement. It came into force in February 2018 and so far 16 persons had been found attempting to leave the country whose names were on the list.

The committee expressed dissatisfaction over the justifications given by the FIA director general regarding the justification and legality of PNIL and decided to probe the matter further in its next meeting.

Minister of Human Rights Minister Dr Shireen Mazari observed that the process was not clear and transparent.

Minister of State for Interior Shehryar Afridi, while briefing the committee, said some time was required to revisit the existing mechanisms and make them more efficient and people friendly in the ministry and its attached departments.

The meeting was attended among others by Leader of the House in Senate Syed Shibli Faraz, senators Keshoo Bai and Dr Mehr Taj Roughani, members of the National assembly (MNAs) Ali Wazir and Mohsin Dawar, Minister for Human Rights Dr. Shireen Mazari, Minister of State for Interior Shehryar Afridi, Special Secretary Interior, DG FIA and officials from relevant departments.