ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court on Monday ordered authorities to remove the names of Pakistan Peoples Party Chairman, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, and Chief Minister Sindh, Murad Ali Shah, from the country’s exit control list (ECL).
The court issued the directive while hearing a suo motu case in which Pakistan’s former president, Asif Ali Zardari, his sister Faryal Talpur, and several high-profile individuals were accused of siphoning off billions of rupees by using fake bank accounts.
The country’s top court also ordered the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) to probe the case within a period of two months in the light of a report submitted by a Joint Investigation Team (JIT).
The JIT had shared its findings after investigating several fictitious bank accounts which had been opened using identity details of ordinary laborers, without their knowledge or consent.
These accounts were allegedly used for money laundering, with each one of them reflecting frequent transactions involving huge sums of money.
During Monday’s hearing, the court observed that the JIT needed to clarify why Bilawal’s name was on the list of suspects when he had been pursuing his studies abroad and was not involved in his father’s business operations.
It may be recalled that the top court had expressed surprise after finding Shah’s name on the no-fly list too.
Meanwhile, a banking court in Karachi has extended the interim bail for Zardari and Talpur, until January 23.
SC orders removal of Bilawal and Sindh CM’s names from ECL
SC orders removal of Bilawal and Sindh CM’s names from ECL
- Asks NAB to probe money laundering case in light of investigating team’s report
- Former president Zardari’s interim bail extended until January 23
Gunmen kill 3 Revolutionary Guards in Iranian province bordering Pakistan
- Iranian state media says attackers ambushed patrol in Sistan and Baluchistan province before fleeing
- Border region with Pakistan and Afghanistan has long seen militant and smuggling-related violence
TEHRAN: Gunmen killed three members of the Revolutionary Guard in Iran’s southeastern province of Sistan and Baluchistan near the Pakistan border, state media reported.
The Guard members were ambushed while patrolling near the city of Lar in a mountainous area about 1,125 kilometers (700 miles) southeast of the capital Tehran, the official IRNA news agency reported.
IRNA did not report whether any Guard members were injured in the attack.
The Revolutionary Guard is pursing the attackers it calls “terrorists,” but they remain at large. No group has taken responsibility for the attack, IRNA reported.
The province bordering Afghanistan and Pakistan, one of the least developed in Iran, has been the site of occasional deadly clashes involving militant groups, armed drug smugglers and Iranian security forces.
In August, Iran’s security forces killed 13 militants in three separate operations in the province a week after the group killed five policemen who were on patrol.
